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UPDATE ON NATIONAL CURRICULUM TEST DELIVERY
07 August 2008
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, has today written to the Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, Barry Sheerman, to update him on developments in relation to National Curriculum testing and the publication schedule for Key Stage 3 results.
A copy of his letter to Mr Sheerman follows below. The Department’s Head of Profession for Statistics has released a statement today on the Department’s Research and Statistics Gateway website at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway Ofqual, the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator, has also released a statement today at ofqual.gov.uk. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has also released a statement today at qca.org.uk LETTER TO SELECT COMMITTEE Dear Barry
In my statement to the House on 22 July I made a commitment to provide regular updates throughout the summer on progress with the marking and publication of national curriculum tests and results. Provisional Key Stage 2 results at the national and local authority level were published on Tuesday 5 August. As I set out to you in my letter of 31 July, the decision to publish was taken by the Department’s Head of Profession for Statistics after consulting the National Statistician and the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual). The figures show that the number of primary school pupils reaching the expected level for their age at Key Stage 2 in English has improved by one percentage point to 81 per cent; that mathematics has risen for the fifth year in a row by one percentage point to 78 per cent; and that science remains the same as last year at 88 per cent. The full Key Stage 2 results can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgatewayFor Key Stage 3 the Head of Profession for Statistics has sought further advice from the National Statistician and Ofqual. In the light of that advice, he has decided that the publication of provisional Key Stage 3 results at the national level should go ahead as planned on August 12. The Statistical First Release (SFR) will be based on information available to the Department on 25th July in order to allow time for the necessary quality assurance processes to have taken place. At that point, the volume of data for each of the Key Stage 3 subjects was, in the view of the Head of Profession for Statistics, more than sufficient to produce reliable provisional national results. He has decided to delay publication of provisional Key Stage 3 results at the local authority level until there is sufficient volume of data for every local authority in all three subjects to enable publication of a complete set of provisional results on a consistent basis for all local authorities. He expects to publish a further SFR in October and will make further announcements on timing, on which I will continue to update you. In the meantime, individual local authorities can access their own results as they become available via password-protected websites. A statement from the department’s Head of Profession for Statistics can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/index.shtml .QCA is continuing to work with ETS Europe to complete the marking and publication of this year’s test results, to publish additional results to schools and pupils, and to resolve any remaining issues. QCA have also informed me that since the data extract of the 25 July, which informed their statement and my letter to you of 31 July, a data processing issue has caused some subsequent records to indicate pupils as absent incorrectly. This issue does not affect the statistical release of national Key Stage 3 results, which will be based on the data extract of the 25 July. They will provide a detailed update on the increased volume of additional results available to schools next week, and I will update you accordingly.
QCA have assured me that they are working to ensure all these tasks are completed as quickly as possible. I continue to be deeply concerned that this work has not been completed and that not all results have been released to schools.
Ofqual have released a statement today at ofqual.gov.uk, and QCA have also today released a statement at qca.org.uk.
I am copying this letter to the Speaker, and to Michael Gove MP and David Laws MP. I have also placed a copy in both libraries of the House.
Yours sincerely
ED BALLS MP
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
Please see http://www.qca.org.uk/, http://www.ofqual.gov.uk and http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/index.shtml for related statements issued today Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2008/0167
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