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Schools chief's fury over SATS "disgrace"
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| "It's a disgrace": Marion Clayton |
CRUCIAL exam papers for 11-year-olds have not been marked properly, Buckinghamshire's top education boss has claimed.
There had been "widespread mis-marking" for key stage 2 English tests said Marion Clayton, cabinet member for achievement and learning at Buckinghamshire County Council.
The failures - which have hit headlines nationwide - risked children being told their results were not as good as previously thought, she said.
Pupils also take the exams in maths and science.
Key Stage 2 results - for children in the last year of primary school - were released on Tuesday, a week late.
Many heads believe the "subjective" nature of English has led to poor marking.
The council said 33 out of 126 primaries had received incomplete results and "many other schools are asking for remarks of the papers".
Mrs Clayton said: "We are being told of widespread mis-marking, sometimes it's too lenient and sometimes too harsh. There is little consistency of marking and no parity.
"And it gets worse - some schools still have missing papers.
"We've learned that an entire batch of papers from two schools turned up in completely random schools in other parts of the country.
"Another school has had papers returned with pupils with names starting with the letters A-G missing."
Mrs Clayton, who declined to name these schools, called the situation a "disgrace" that will "cause untold and unnecessary concern to parents, pupils and schools".
She said: "What will it do to children's confidence if they are marked down?"
Rosemary Saunders, headteacher at Downley Primary School, said: "We will certainly be returning some of the papers because we don't think that certain areas have been marked as accurately as they could.
"We will have to go through the rest with a fine tooth comb to see that the scores are what they should have been."
But Graham Kilner, head at High Wycombe's Highworth Combined School, said while the delay was "very regrettable" it had no issues with the marking.
Key stage 3 results, for 14-year-olds, were due last week but are now expected tomorrow. These are needed to put children into sets and inform league tables.
Beaconsfield School head Alex Russell said: "We are obviously very concerned about the quality of the marking.
"We will be checking all the papers that come back to make sure they are accurately marked as they should have been."
Dr Mark Fenton, head at Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, said: "I think that debacle is an accurate description - clearly it's not a very satisfactory situation."
12:48pm Thursday 17th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Catflap, work on 1:44pm Thu 17 Jul 08
These tests should be scrapped. The results are not an indication of the schools performance but of the individual student. League tables are a load of rubbish
These tests should be scrapped. The results are not an indication of the schools performance but of the individual student. League tables are a load of rubbish
Posted by: SBJones, Wycombe on 1:47pm Thu 17 Jul 08
schools should refuse to use the SAT's then the government would have to do something about it
schools should refuse to use the SAT's then the government would have to do something about it
Posted by: Red Fred, HW on 2:14pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Everyone knows that these tests are a complete waste of time and here we go again. People like Ms Clayton say that the mis-marking of these tests is 'a disgrace', when in reality, that they exist at all is the real disgrace.
Time and time again our children are being failed by an education system that tries to teach them how to pass meaningless tests under artificial pressure, when what they are crying out for is a decent education to prepare them for the modern world. One can only hope that the people responsible, are ashamed enough to stop this now and divert the money wasted on these tests to other areas of the education system that really need it.
Everyone knows that these tests are a complete waste of time and here we go again. People like Ms Clayton say that the mis-marking of these tests is 'a disgrace', when in reality, that they exist at all is the real disgrace.
Time and time again our children are being failed by an education system that tries to teach them how to pass meaningless tests under artificial pressure, when what they are crying out for is a decent education to prepare them for the modern world. One can only hope that the people responsible, are ashamed enough to stop this now and divert the money wasted on these tests to other areas of the education system that really need it.
Posted by: Observer, of Education on 7:36pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Abolish the selective school system in Bucks and there would be less problems of this nature.
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Abolish the selective school system in Bucks and there would be less problems of this nature.
Posted by: moominmama on 8:32pm Thu 17 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Observer[/bold] wrote:
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Abolish the selective school system in Bucks and there would be less problems of this nature.[/quote] I totally agree, it's not too difficult to be a top school when you have creamed off the those most able to pass the test. We should give children a level playing field, to lots of parents, grammer school is just a status symbol, and it is mostly children who have the benefit of wealth who make it into grammers. AND isn't single sex education (exception Borlase) rather 1950's ? There is more to education than academic results!
Observer wrote:
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Abolish the selective school system in Bucks and there would be less problems of this nature.
I totally agree, it's not too difficult to be a top school when you have creamed off the those most able to pass the test. We should give children a level playing field, to lots of parents, grammer school is just a status symbol, and it is mostly children who have the benefit of wealth who make it into grammers. AND isn't single sex education (exception Borlase) rather 1950's ? There is more to education than academic results!
Posted by: gurney, high wycombe on 10:32pm Thu 17 Jul 08
If you can afford to pay for tutors your alright!! it is a status symbol and also to some parents they think it makes them "better" parents.
If you can afford to pay for tutors your alright!! it is a status symbol and also to some parents they think it makes them "better" parents.
Posted by: Blueberry, S Bucks on 11:19pm Thu 17 Jul 08
[quote]Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.[/quote] Huh? The SATs problems are [bold]national[/bold] - nothing to do with 11+. By all means debate Bucks selection procedures, but it's not relevant to this story.
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Huh? The SATs problems are
national - nothing to do with 11+. By all means debate Bucks selection procedures, but it's not relevant to this story.
Posted by: deecee, high wycombe on 7:59am Fri 18 Jul 08
There are too many tests for children these days, and far too much homework, by all means they need a good education, but there is no time in the evenings and weekends just to have fun, as there is always a homework book full of tasks to be completed.
There are too many tests for children these days, and far too much homework, by all means they need a good education, but there is no time in the evenings and weekends just to have fun, as there is always a homework book full of tasks to be completed.
Posted by: Steve, Totteridge Hill on 8:52am Fri 18 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Blueberry[/bold] wrote:
[quote]Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.[/quote] Huh? The SATs problems are [bold]national[/bold] - nothing to do with 11+. By all means debate Bucks selection procedures, but it's not relevant to this story. [/quote] Well spotted Blueberry...
What was interesting on the Beeb last night was the inconsistency in the marking! They showed one paper with poor grammar and even worse spelling getting a higher mark than a good paper. Then the minister Ed Balls passing the buck (literally) on to the American company that marked them... Why aren't they marked by us in the UK? At least we can spell correctly...colour / color etc.
Blueberry wrote:
Another reason to get rid of the 11 plus.
Huh? The SATs problems are national - nothing to do with 11+. By all means debate Bucks selection procedures, but it's not relevant to this story.
Well spotted Blueberry...
What was interesting on the Beeb last night was the inconsistency in the marking! They showed one paper with poor grammar and even worse spelling getting a higher mark than a good paper. Then the minister Ed Balls passing the buck (literally) on to the American company that marked them... Why aren't they marked by us in the UK? At least we can spell correctly...colour / color etc.
Posted by: Red Fred, HW on 10:05am Fri 18 Jul 08
Yes the SATs are national. Yes the 11+ is Bucks selection. But the problem is that schools are not interested in children passing the 11+, they are more concerned with their SATs league table position.
Is it fair that in the main, the money and the talent go to the grammar schools? No
Is it fair that now we have a whole group of pathetic parents who pay for opportunist tutors to teach their children how to pass meaningless tests?
No
And therein lies the problem, we are wasting huge amounts of money on SATs, when we should be using that money in other areas of neglected educationn
Yes the SATs are national. Yes the 11+ is Bucks selection. But the problem is that schools are not interested in children passing the 11+, they are more concerned with their SATs league table position.
Is it fair that in the main, the money and the talent go to the grammar schools? No
Is it fair that now we have a whole group of pathetic parents who pay for opportunist tutors to teach their children how to pass meaningless tests?
No
And therein lies the problem, we are wasting huge amounts of money on SATs, when we should be using that money in other areas of neglected educationn
Posted by: Red Fred, HW on 10:07am Fri 18 Jul 08
And just to prove the point in my case education only has 1 n
And just to prove the point in my case education only has 1 n
Posted by: Blueberry, S Bucks on 1:21pm Fri 18 Jul 08
[quote]Why aren't they marked by us in the UK?[/quote] They are marked (or not) in the UK. But it's a US company that is in charge of organising, recruiting etc. Interestingly on the radio today, US educationalists were being interviewed about bad experiences with the company.
Why aren't they marked by us in the UK?
They are marked (or not) in the UK. But it's a US company that is in charge of organising, recruiting etc. Interestingly on the radio today, US educationalists were being interviewed about bad experiences with the company.
Posted by: Blueberry, S Bucks on 2:21pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Just noticed the caption under the photo - that's a bit unfair, BFP. It looks as if you're labelling Ms Clayton as a "disgrace", rather than quoting her own words about ETS.
Just noticed the caption under the photo - that's a bit unfair, BFP. It looks as if you're labelling Ms Clayton as a "disgrace", rather than quoting her own words about ETS.
Posted by: Red Fred, HW on 2:32pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Could be a 'Freudian slip' ?
Could be a 'Freudian slip' ?
Posted by: shylock, Terriers on 6:42pm Sat 19 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Blueberry[/bold] wrote:
[quote]Why aren't they marked by us in the UK?[/quote] They are marked (or not) in the UK. But it's a US company that is in charge of organising, recruiting etc. Interestingly on the radio today, US educationalists were being interviewed about bad experiences with the company.[/quote] But a load of the papers turned up in the US!
Blueberry wrote:
Why aren't they marked by us in the UK?
They are marked (or not) in the UK. But it's a US company that is in charge of organising, recruiting etc. Interestingly on the radio today, US educationalists were being interviewed about bad experiences with the company.
But a load of the papers turned up in the US!
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