Press Release

Sats

18 July 2008

Commenting on the future of this year’s Sats tests, Christine Blower, Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;

“As evidence of the maladministration of this year's Key Stage 2 and 3 tests gathers weight, it is quite obvious that the independent Sutherland enquiry should determine whether this year's tests should stand or fall.

“I urge the Secretary of State to add a further criterion to his enquiry; that of deciding whether a subject’s tests at each Key Stage are reliable or whether their reliability has been contaminated.

“Sutherland must have the option to decide whether the results are valid or whether they should be annulled.

“The sky would not fall in if that happened. 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 currently wasting on the tests contractor.”