School Gate blog: why Key Stage 3 tests should be scrapped

The company responsible for failing to deliver millions of school exam results on time this summer has been sacked.

Teachers leaders said that the decision, which comes after a summer of delays in test results, was inevitable and called on the Government to scrap national tests for next year in an overhaul of the entire system.

ETS Europe had a five-year £156 million contract to carry out marking of the national tests for 11 to 14-year-olds, but today it was dissolved.

The results of the Key Stage 2 and 3 SATs tests were delayed by over a month in what has been roundly criticised as a shambles.

Some schools are still waiting to receive their full set of scripts for English, Maths and Science, five weeks after they were due to be returned.

The Qualifications Curriculum Authority, who employed ETS in February last year, said that they would make no further payments to ETS but the company will have to pay QCA back £19.5 million and £4.6 million for the cancellation of invoices and in charges. They were originally paid £35 million to carry out this year’s marking.

Ken Boston, chief executive, QCA, said: "It is disappointing that the issues with this year's national curriculum test results have meant that the partnership between QCA and ETS Europe must end early.”

Zoubir Yazid, managing director, ETS Global BV, said: "ETS Europe has apologised to schools for the delays in marking national curriculum assessments in England.

“We are sorry that the results this summer were delayed for some schools. However, we would argue that the quality of the marking is high, due to the stringent new checks that we introduced this year."

Schools have questioned the quality of papers that have been returned to them and sent many back because of erratic and incorrect marking. They will not find out arrangements for next year’s tests until the Autumn term.

Michael Gove, the Shadow Schools Secretary, called on the Government to stop “dithering” and announce plans for tests in 2009.

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