Key Stage 2 Exam Results

My Lords, Pearson has fully apologised for its failure to return the key stage 2 results on time and for the impact on schools, pupils and parents. The delay was unacceptable, but I can confirm that results have been returned successfully today. The Government will use all contractual provisions to ensure that Pearson is held to account for its failings, and there will be a full independent review into how such serious failings could have occurred.

My Lords, I welcome the review. The Minister will know that the SATs exams at the end of year 6 are very important in the life of children and their parents. With results coming nine days late, some schools have already broken up, having broken up last week, and most schools break up tomorrow, so schools have one day to go through the results, identify any errors or anomalies, communicate with parents and be prepared to support children who did not reach the required standard. Will my noble friend the Minister explain to the House just what sanctions are available against Pearson? Does she not think it calls into question the wholesale outsourcing of important services like this? There are shades of the Capita issue in relation to Civil Service pensions.

My noble friend raises several significant and important matters and explains that some schools have already broken up. We fully recognise the frustration and inconvenience this delay has caused for schools, pupils, families and, as he rightly says, teachers. Schools should expect results to be delivered to the published timetable. We are exploring all options for recourse, including financial penalties and termination of the contract. As I have said, the Secretary of State has confirmed there will be a full independent review. I can confirm that, as the Secretary of State announced today, it will be led by Dame Christine Gilbert, currently chair of Ofsted. Of course, further details and terms of reference will be set out shortly.

My Lords, this time of year is very stressful as school leaders come to the end of the academic year. I welcome the Minister’s statement today about a review, but what assessment have the Government made of the level of disruption and additional workload that primary schools now face because of the delay in publication of the key stage 2 results? Will the Government also look at what lessons can be learned from that review and commit to actually implementing those in future for national assessments?

We enter into the review with full transparency, which is why we have set it up; it is absolutely crucial. We also recognise the delay, and I reassure the noble Lord that we have extended until 7 September the deadline for any applications for reviews of the tests that members of staff have to do, to give more time. It is so difficult at this time of year—everyone should be celebrating the end of the school year. Of course, key stage 2 is the end of the primary phase for most young people. So, it is a serious issue, and we are treating it with the respect it deserves.

My Lords, it is extremely important that the transition between primary and secondary school is as smooth for children and well supported as possible. It is a traumatic time for everybody. If schools have broken up, teachers have no opportunity to support children who have not done particularly well, children with special needs and children with disadvantage. Secondary schools also have less time to consider the provisions they need to make. It is an extremely serious issue, and the Minister is obviously taking it very seriously. Is the review going to look at the options for outsourcing, and even whether there is capacity within the department to take it back in house and do it from the department’s point of view?

My noble friend is absolutely right: transition is important. Secondary schools do not rely on the SATs results immediately; they are used in a longer-term process. However, on her last point, I reassure her that, following the recent announcement from the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, a new public interest test will be applied before renewing expiring government contracts, in order to prioritise long-term value. Everything is on the table. We need to make sure we get the best outcome for those pupils, and for the staff who do such a brilliant job supporting them through all the different stages of their education.

My Lords, from 2011 I chaired the Department for Education’s independent review of key stage 2 assessment. We had many good discussions with Pearson during that time, and I am very disappointed by this recent debacle. One of the key things is the breakdown between Pearson and the markers, which seems to be at the heart of this failure. Can the Minister probe this when the investigation occurs? The review I was engaged in wanted to produce the most humane, creative key stage 2 set of tests. It was also motivated by a desire to maintain the UK’s significant position in world educational rankings. Nobody owes this country a living. So, this failure is not just a matter of the disappointment to schools and parents in the last few weeks; Pearson has to be told it has a role to play in maintaining this country’s overall placing in world educational attainment.

I thank the noble Lord for his timely comments. I reassure him that the delay was about technical issues with uploading the data, rather than the actual marking of the tests themselves. Obviously, all of this will be looked at in great detail. He is absolutely right about the humane aspect. For whatever reasons—I am not sure it was the intention at the beginning—pupils take SATs very seriously. It is a really big deal for year 6 pupils to go through them. We have to make sure there is confidence in the system, and that they can be supported, particularly the most vulnerable children, who can be given an alternative form of assessment if required.

My Lords, it is incredibly important to support all businesses, big and small, to enhance economic growth. But in this instance, it is obviously entirely fair and reasonable to ask: what steps are both the Government and Pearson undertaking right now to support teachers who are back at their desks during annual leave, and will Pearson be required to provide full remedial action before the publication of the review?

I reassure the noble Earl that the department has given extra time. It is very conscious of the fact that teachers are looking forward to going on a break. By the end of the summer term, to be quite honest, most of them are on their knees because of the effort they have put in. I therefore reassure him that we are being sympathetic about that. I do not want to pre-empt the terms of the review. We should let it do its work and analyse the results, and then see what next steps are most appropriate for all concerned.

My Lords, further to the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Bew, and on the broader question of SATs testing, last week, YouGov published a survey showing that only 7% of primary school leaders wanted to see SATs retained in their present form; the remainder wanted them either to be reformed or to be removed entirely. A large part of the reason why was the stress caused to young people, which has of course been exacerbated by the Pearson fiasco in the last two weeks. So, will my noble friend the Minister agree to listen to the views of those who know young pupils best, and look at revising primary assessment, with a view to finding a fairer and more effective form?

I always enjoy my conversations with my noble friend, particularly on matters such as this. I have a grandson who has just gone through key stage 2 SATs, and I know from first-hand experience the pressure that is being experienced. Of course, these matters are always under review. There is a special emphasis now on children with SEND to make sure they are properly looked after. We are mindful that the curriculum review looked at this in great detail, and the response was that, in the main, they were fair assessments. But this is obviously a dynamic area, and we will continue to listen to the voice of the experts—in this case, the teachers themselves.

My Lords, I declare my interest as a teacher who has taught Pearson Edexcel at A-level. I will widen the Question a bit. The Government are complaining about Pearson and talking about the delays, but the annual Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance always comes out in the holidays, giving the safeguarding teams no time to get things organised before inset days. A couple of years ago, the Minister, the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, promised that it would come out in term time. Do the Government have any plans for that?

I will take away the noble Lord’s comments, quiz my noble friend the Minister in great depth, and we will reply to him in due course.