Sats tests in science for primary school pupils are to be scrapped but those in English and maths retained.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls told the Commons the science tests will be replaced by enhanced teacher assessment and national sample testing.

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said it was "precisely the wrong time to downgrade science and move away from rigour" in assessment.

In a Commons statement, Mr Balls said a number of pupils would sit a sample test in science to ensure that national standards were maintained.

He also confirmed plans for a "school report card" to give parents a clearer indication of a school's progress than a crude league table.

Mr Balls updated MPs on the recommendations made by an expert group charged with reviewing the Sats regime.

He said the experts said externally-marked and validated tests played an "essential role in the accountability system" and removing the tests at Key Stage 2 for 11-year-olds would "represent a step backwards" for both pupils and accountability.

The experts recommended the tests should remain in English and maths, but Mr Balls said they concluded that "we can improve the teaching and assessment of science and reinforce its crucial role in the new primary curriculum by replacing externally marked tests with enhanced teacher assessment".

This method "better recognises whether pupils have a firm grip of the practical nature of science and the skills to develop and apply scientific understanding".

He added: "I intend to ensure there is externally validated accountability for national standards in science by introducing a new sample test at Key Stage 2, going beyond the expert group recommendations."

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.