Teachers and headteachers are calling on the government to suspend league tables for schools in England next year, arguing they are unfair and will place too much pressure on staff and pupils whose routine has been disrupted by lockdown. It would be meaningless and counterproductive to compare the performance of schools based on tests taken at the end of primary and secondary education next year, the National Education Union (NEU) the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) have warned. “The education of the children taking these assessments has already been disrupted by the coronavirus lockdown, and it is likely that there will be further disruption next academic year with children having to self-isolate if they show symptoms of the infection, and the possibility of local lockdowns in response to infection spikes,” said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL. League tables, he said, could be damaging to schools through no fault of their own and in spite of the best efforts they had made for their pupils. “We think it is important that schools are able to focus on reintegrating children back into the classroom, and supporting their wellbeing and learning, free from the worry of being penalised in performance tables.” Simon Kidwell, head of Hartford Manor primary in Cheshire and a spokesperson for the NAHT, said: “It’s really unfair to be using this one measure for all schools when next year we are likely to have schools having different experiences due to local lockdowns, such as the one that has occurred in Leicester. Home learning is a poor substitute for learning in the classroom.” He added that disadvantaged pupils, who may not have had access to the education being provided online during lockdown, were more likely to attend schools in deprived areas in large numbers, putting these schools at a disadvantage in terms of league tables compared with those in wealthier places. Many children returning to school – particularly those in deprived areas – would also have suffered bereavements and need extra emotional support. Others would have experienced domestic violence, isolation and anxiety during lockdown. “I think every headteacher would want league tables suspended for another year, so schools can focus on what’s really important and not just exams,” said Kidwell. “We want to plug academic gaps and see where children are, but we don’t want to be put under pressure from an unfair accountability measure.” Routine Ofsted inspections have been suspended until January, but in its latest guidance for schools, issued last week, the government ignored calls by headteachers to suspend league tables too. Sean Maher, head of Richard Challoner School in Kingston upon Thames, said he was worried schools would be pressured to address academic gaps immediately, without being given time to understand what children had been through during lockdown. “We’re going to be unpicking things for months about what’s happened – where there have been abusive relationships, family fall-outs, mental health issues. I’m also concerned about staff struggling with reintegrating back into the school environment and families feeling financial pressure.” The government should allow schools more time to support communities and use the opportunity to engage in a national debate with school leaders about how schools are measured, he suggested. “Don’t rush back to Ofsted inspections. Don’t rush back to league tables. Let’s have a conversation, as a country, about how we really want to judge our schools.” Meanwhile, two leading early-years charities told the Observer they were advising parents of four- and five-year-olds to delay starting school in reception in the autumn. Both Early Education and TACTYC say children will benefit from the continuity of returning to their existing nursery or childcare provider in September, encouraging parents to remember that children do not need to start school until a term after they reach the statutory school age of five. The Department for Education said: “Performance tables are suspended for the 2019-20 academic year, and no school or college will be judged on data based on exams and assessments from 2020. We will announce more details on accountability arrangements for the 2020/21 academic year shortly.”