SATs: Exam meltdown

The head of the Government's exams watchdog could not have put the dilemma more succinctly.

There are 40,000 English teachers in secondary schools, said Ken Boston, the chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) – the Government's regulatory body for national curriculum assessments and tests.

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Between them, they have to mark GCSE papers taken by 600,000 pupils, A-levels by 250,000, AS-level papers from 250,000 and national curriculum tests for 14-year-olds by a further 550,000.

Given that each exam includes two papers and the tests for 14-year-olds three, that is more than 800 scripts per teacher – even if every one of those 40,000 was enticed by the lure of between £1 and £2 a script to volunteer as a marker.

Against that background, a new contractor – the American company ETS – is brought in on a contract to deliver the test results for 11 and 14-year-olds (known as SATs) earlier than they have been delivered for the past four years – by 8 July. The result? Failure and chaos throughout the national curriculum testing system.

In truth, said MPs who questioned Dr Boston about the fiasco earlier this week, warning bells should have sounded much earlier.

It should have sounded an alarm with the QCA, argued members of the Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families, when two of the UK's biggest exam boards, the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance and the OCR (Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts), did not bid for the tests' contract. With their knowledge of the education system, it is being argued, they privately knew that what was being asked of the contractor could not be delivered.

Evidence of the chaos caused this year is growing by the day. News emerged yesterday that schools – on receiving the results for 11-year-olds a week late – are finding that their pupils' work has been returned unmarked – with some pupils being wrongly recorded as having been absent on the day of the tests.

Steve Summerton, the deputy head of Harrison primary school in Fareham, Hampshire, told the BBC News online service that, when he received his school's science results, 26 of the children were incorrectly recorded as having been absent. "I am appalled that the chief executive of the QCA gave evidence to MPs on Monday that 100 per cent of papers were marked," he said. "Not true."

Mike Blant, the head of Winter Gardens junior school on Canvey Island, Essex, added that – of 59 children registered by the school as having been present – 58 of them are now marked in the ETS system with an "A" for absent. "I managed to speak to someone on the phone today who said that many schools were experiencing similar problems," he said.

The complaints about marking standards have led to Mick Brookes, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, to tell ministers that they would be "ill-advised" to go ahead with plans to announce the national results on 12 August – two days before A-level results. He also believes that league tables this year should be scrapped because the information which would be included in them is "on the face of it, a bit iffy". He said: "Putting this information in league tables would not be a good idea." It could lead to schools taking legal action claiming their good name has been unfairly challenged.

The situation in secondary schools is worse. Dr Boston warned that the results for this year's English tests for 14-year-olds may not be known until well into the summer holidays. This would, in fact, be the fifth year in succession they have been delayed. The only reason that more of a fuss has not been made of the SATs problems is that head teachers are more consumed by A-level and GCSE results.

John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Key stage three [which encompasses the tests for 14-year-olds] is essentially a progress check on pupils the year before they embark on GCSEs.

"They are not such a big deal and frankly it is madness to produce separate league tables of them. They should be scrapped."

But he is worried about the results of the tests for 11-year-olds. Most secondary schools have already introduced their own tests because they do not believe the SATs are a reliable indicator of the pupils' ability. This year's fiasco will just confirm to secondary school heads that they should ignore the results of the national curriculum tests. Even if the Government were to scrap the tests for 14-year-olds, it still leaves a dilemma over what to do with the final four years of ETS's £165m contract.

ETS came with a powerful reputation for designing and marking more than 50 million tests each year and has deals in more than 80 countries. It is no stranger to the UK, either. The test it has devised in English for international communication is being used as part of the new points system brought in by the Home Office to help determine immigration applications.

Ian Lucas, the executive director of ETS Europe/UK, could not be reached yesterday for comment. The company put out a statement saying the majority of the test results for 11-year-olds had been published on Tuesday and most of those for 14-year-olds would be published on Friday. "The results this year will be of equal or greater quality than past years, it added.

Michael Gove, the shadow Education Secretary, was in no doubt about what should happen to the company's contract. "ETS have forfeited the right to run future SATs tests," he said. "Every day brings new evidence of their serial incompetence. Ministers must act now to ensure next year's exams are run properly. That means guaranteeing that a proper team to supervise the process is in place as soon as possible." He added: "The Government can't hide behind legalese. If ministers signed a contract which ties them to an incompetent firm, that only underlines their own incompetence."

Dr Boston says ETS could face penalties running into "tens of millions of pounds". Legal advisers to the QCA have looked at whether the contract could be terminated but Dr Boston believes he could work with ETS to secure a smoother running of the system next year.

The Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, has set up an inquiry, to be headed by the former chief schools inspector Lord Sutherland of Houndwood. Mr Balls refused to apologise for the fiasco when questioned by MPs on Wednesday; he said, instead, that he was "upset" and "disappointed".

Christine Blower, the acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said Lord Sutherland should be asked to rule whether this year's results were valid or should be annulled. "The sky would not fall in if that happened," she said. "Such a decision would give the Government a breathing space to initiate an independent review of the current unstable, costly and damaging arrangements, which we have always said adds nothing positive to children's education. A review could also give the Government time to ponder how it might better spend the £165m it is wasting on the tests' contractor."

SATs test exam

1. You are a multi-million pound company awarded a £165million five-year exams contract but you fail to deliver test results on time to more than a million children in the first year. Should you: (a) forfeit the rest of the contract (b) be forced to pay financial penalties for failure to carry out the contract, (c) as a director, just go and have your tequila sunrise on Malibu Beach this summer as if nothing had happened.

2. You are an 11-year-old child sitting tests in English, maths and science this summer considered by ministers to be crucially important to your future. The results do not arrive in time to help your secondary school prepare for your arrival in September. Should your parents: (a) Shrug their shoulders and say "that's bureaucracy for you", (b) test you again themselves and pass the results on to the secondary school, (c) call for heads to roll and mount a campaign for a review of the system.

3. You are the minister in charge of schools when test results for 11 and 14-year-olds fail to be delivered on time. Should you (a) Apologise to the parents and children concerned or just say you are upset and disappointed by what has happened, (b) resign or (c) set up an inquiry to find out how the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, your national curriculum watchdog, and ETS – the company assigned the task of delivering the test results – failed to deliver.

A test at every age

5 years old Children are assessed on a range of activities – including reading, writing and communications skills – at their nursery school settings.

7 Children are tested in English and maths. The pupils can now take these when their teacher thinks they are ready for them and the tests are assessed internally by the teacher.

11 Tests in English, maths and science are externally marked – the results of which go to secondary schools and are used in primary league tables.

14 Similar national curriculum tests in English, maths and science. Again externally marked and for use in league tables.

15 Pupils start GCSEs. Many subjects involve coursework, which will be marked in the first year of study.

16 Final GCSE exams. A typical school pupil will sit about eight different subjects. Most of them will take maths and English.

17 AS levels. Typically a child will take four subjects at AS level and then drop their weakest one for A-level.

18 Students will take their final A-level exams – traditionally sitting three subjects (although more are now opting for four subjects).

19 The brightest students sit Advanced Extension Awards, which give them a better chance to gain places on popular university courses.