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| Schools still wait for Sats marks | Schools still wait for Sats marks |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| The problems with this year's Sats tests in England show no sign of ending, with the latest update showing many schools are still without marks. | The problems with this year's Sats tests in England show no sign of ending, with the latest update showing many schools are still without marks. |
| A statement from the Schools Secretary Ed Balls shows there has been little more progress in returning missing primary test results. | A statement from the Schools Secretary Ed Balls shows there has been little more progress in returning missing primary test results. |
| About one in five primary schools lacks results and almost a quarter of English results for 14-year-olds are missing. | About one in five primary schools lacks results and almost a quarter of English results for 14-year-olds are missing. |
| There are fears from schools that some test papers have been completely lost. | |
| Mr Balls says that ministerial intervention or "commentary" on the negotiations between the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the private tests contractor, ETS, "would be totally inappropriate". | Mr Balls says that ministerial intervention or "commentary" on the negotiations between the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the private tests contractor, ETS, "would be totally inappropriate". |
| 'Shambles' | 'Shambles' |
| Speaking to the House of Commons, Mr Balls repeated that responsibility for the problems lay with the QCA and ETS and declined to apologise. | Speaking to the House of Commons, Mr Balls repeated that responsibility for the problems lay with the QCA and ETS and declined to apologise. |
| Ed Balls faces critics in the Commons | |
| The schools secretary said that he had been advised that marking quality was as good as in previous years so publication of the results would go ahead. | The schools secretary said that he had been advised that marking quality was as good as in previous years so publication of the results would go ahead. |
| Mr Balls said the deadline for appeals against marking had been extended to 10 September, or 10 days after the start of the autumn term. | Mr Balls said the deadline for appeals against marking had been extended to 10 September, or 10 days after the start of the autumn term. |
| Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove accused Mr Balls of having failed to intervene when there had been warning signs of problems. | Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove accused Mr Balls of having failed to intervene when there had been warning signs of problems. |
| "Is it not the case that he failed to make sure contracts had been awarded properly, failed to heed warning signs and failed to act quickly to avert a fiasco which every teacher in the land could see coming?" | "Is it not the case that he failed to make sure contracts had been awarded properly, failed to heed warning signs and failed to act quickly to avert a fiasco which every teacher in the land could see coming?" |
| The Liberal Democrats' schools spokesman, David Laws, said this year's tests remained a "shambles" - and warned that assurances over the quality of marking were "complacent and premature". | The Liberal Democrats' schools spokesman, David Laws, said this year's tests remained a "shambles" - and warned that assurances over the quality of marking were "complacent and premature". |
| The statement from Mr Balls sets out the latest figures for the return of the delayed test results for 11 and 14-year-olds - which should have been delivered to pupils a fortnight ago. | The statement from Mr Balls sets out the latest figures for the return of the delayed test results for 11 and 14-year-olds - which should have been delivered to pupils a fortnight ago. |
| These show that there has been some catching up on the return of English results to secondary school pupils - with 77% of marks published compared with 71% last week. | These show that there has been some catching up on the return of English results to secondary school pupils - with 77% of marks published compared with 71% last week. |
| For maths tests for 14-year-olds, 94% of results have been published and 93% in science. | For maths tests for 14-year-olds, 94% of results have been published and 93% in science. |
| However there has been little apparent progress in the return of missing primary school test results - with 98% of all results published, similar to the position at the end of last week. | However there has been little apparent progress in the return of missing primary school test results - with 98% of all results published, similar to the position at the end of last week. |
| This means that about one in five primary schools will have ended the school year without a complete set of marks for English, maths and science. | This means that about one in five primary schools will have ended the school year without a complete set of marks for English, maths and science. |
| 'Extreme disappointment' | 'Extreme disappointment' |
| One of the primary schools still waiting for their results is St Augustine's primary school in Weymouth - in the constituency of Schools Minister Jim Knight. | One of the primary schools still waiting for their results is St Augustine's primary school in Weymouth - in the constituency of Schools Minister Jim Knight. |
| ONLINE INPUTTING Markers hit by computer problems | |
| Head teacher Stephen Mason says that since the first missed deadline he has been chasing missing English test results - but on Tuesday, the last day of term and the last chance to give results to the 11-year-olds in person - the results have still not been returned. | Head teacher Stephen Mason says that since the first missed deadline he has been chasing missing English test results - but on Tuesday, the last day of term and the last chance to give results to the 11-year-olds in person - the results have still not been returned. |
| Writing to parents and pupils about his "extreme disappointment", Mr Mason said: "I can only apologise on the government's behalf for the way in which all your hard work has been treated. | Writing to parents and pupils about his "extreme disappointment", Mr Mason said: "I can only apologise on the government's behalf for the way in which all your hard work has been treated. |
| "I promise to give you the English marks as soon as we receive them. | "I promise to give you the English marks as soon as we receive them. |
| "I want to thank you for the way in which you approached these tests last May. Your conduct, preparation and hard work made your teacher and I extremely proud." | "I want to thank you for the way in which you approached these tests last May. Your conduct, preparation and hard work made your teacher and I extremely proud." |
| Mr Mason says that when he contacted the ETS helpline on Tuesday morning he wanted to know if the test papers had been lost. | Mr Mason says that when he contacted the ETS helpline on Tuesday morning he wanted to know if the test papers had been lost. |
| He says he was told that they were not lost but they might have been "mislaid". | He says he was told that they were not lost but they might have been "mislaid". |
| A spokesman for ETS told the BBC most of the work being carried out now for primary school test papers involved putting the marks into its results database, rather than actual marking of test scripts. | A spokesman for ETS told the BBC most of the work being carried out now for primary school test papers involved putting the marks into its results database, rather than actual marking of test scripts. |
| Keep letting us know about your experiences, using the form below: | Keep letting us know about your experiences, using the form below: |
| We finished term on Friday 18th July . In spite of repeated e-mails to ETS we have not received returned English scripts and are missing all the Paper B maths tests. Incomplete results did appear on ETS site but we have no means of verifying quality/accuracy of marking especially in English. How's that for accountability! HeadteacherDerval Carey-Jenkins, Shropshire | We finished term on Friday 18th July . In spite of repeated e-mails to ETS we have not received returned English scripts and are missing all the Paper B maths tests. Incomplete results did appear on ETS site but we have no means of verifying quality/accuracy of marking especially in English. How's that for accountability! HeadteacherDerval Carey-Jenkins, Shropshire |
| We took our Yr 9 SATS in May. We havn't heard anything since. Despite recent calls to certain places no one is any wiser to do with our results. It's a complete shamblesJordan Mitchell, Hockwold, Norfolk | |
| As a Secondary school we are still waiting for our English results. None of our marks are yet available, and it seems that no-one can give us either accurate (or honest) information. Surely this is the time to discard these unsafe results, before they cause untold damage to CVA scores in 3 and 5 years time!Bob Linnell, Ash, Surrey | |
| It is quite remarkable that an entire education policy can be based on them, a Head Teacher's career can be finished overnight on judgements drawn solely from them, a schools reputation destroyed by them, a host of quasi-independant Agencies feed off them with thousands of School Improvement Partners who use them all the time to make comments and judgements, and children's successes and failures measured by them, but the DCSF and its Agencies seemingly cannot be bothered to administer them professionally. If we ran our schools the way SATs have been run we would all be ritually humiliated through Ofsted, the by news media, then sacked. It is time to trust the profession and use teacher assessments, not SATs.andrew fielder, st austell | It is quite remarkable that an entire education policy can be based on them, a Head Teacher's career can be finished overnight on judgements drawn solely from them, a schools reputation destroyed by them, a host of quasi-independant Agencies feed off them with thousands of School Improvement Partners who use them all the time to make comments and judgements, and children's successes and failures measured by them, but the DCSF and its Agencies seemingly cannot be bothered to administer them professionally. If we ran our schools the way SATs have been run we would all be ritually humiliated through Ofsted, the by news media, then sacked. It is time to trust the profession and use teacher assessments, not SATs.andrew fielder, st austell |
| I'm interested to see the claim that marking is as good as in previous years. My son is still nervously waiting for KS2 results (there's a reward involved!) but we have just had a letter from the school stating that we won't now get these until next term. In the letter the Headteacher states that they have used the official mark scheme to check the papers and, as a result, they are requesting that the papers be remarked. Instead they have given us the Teacher Assessment results. The problem is that even when we get the proper results will we trust them? It has been suggested that the results be anulled but that is totally unfair on the children who went through the stress of sitting these tests. The only solution is to remark the whole lot properly, preferably NOT by a private company. Surely, ETS are in breach of contract and can be sacked.Debbie Zambardino, Ashtead, Surrey | |
| I have just spent a day filling in forms to get KS2 English papers re-marked. For this I have lost a day's holiday and my school may be charged £6.50 per paper plus postal costs. The system is set up to encourage schools only to send back papers where a change in mark will change the overall level - the £6.50 is only charged to papers where the overall level is not changed. Also if less than 30 papers are sent back an individual form has to be filled in for each paper rather than one form to cover all of them. Many schools, like mine, will only have 30 children sitting SATS so will need to fill in individual forms. Even though all the papers in the class were poorly (WRONGLY!) marked I only sent back 9 papers and it took all day. The true scale of this mess will never be known, as the review system encourages schools only to send back some papers. simeon leech, ulverston cumbria | |
| my son has worked so hard to complete his exams and was really excited to be recieving his results so you can imagine the disappointment at hearing that they dont know when they will get them. what can you say only that this situation is a total disgrace you tell your children how important these are only to be treated this way.tracy obrien, ashton under lyne ,lancashire | |
| Let us not forget that it was the previous Tory administration that privatised the inspection and marking services that schools currently have to deal with. As an ex HMI I am appalled, but not surprised) to see what has happened in recent years and I fear that this is the tip of the iceberg. The inspection service (and marking of examinations) should be placed under direct Government, LEA and University control as in the past.Adrian Grant, Poole, Dorset | |
| Here's another one. Two KS3 English pupils with marks for papers they didn't sit. Good marks though!, Portsmouth | |
| My lad had worked really hard for these SATS. The least he deserved was to receive his results before he finished for Summer. This is a total shamble. How on earth nobody has been sacked? This is a total disgrace and embarrasing. Chris Orzel, Northwich, Cheshire | |
| My son has chosen his options to take as GCSE but with no SATS results we are none the wiser as to which of his chosen subjects he will be taking. Its a disgrace that youngsters who have worked so hard should be let down by this system and does nothing to encourage them to work hard if no results are forthcoming.T.C., Rotherham, S Yorks | |