Test fiasco inquiry to lay blame

Boxes of unmarked test papers were found in the marking chaos

An inquiry into the chaos affecting the Sats tests taken by school pupils in England this summer is set to publish its report into what went wrong.

Exam watchdog chief, Ken Boston, has already resigned ahead of Lord Sutherland's findings.

There will be pressure on other officials to step down if the report is as highly critical as expected.

Results were disrupted for hundreds of thousands of pupils and school league tables have had to be postponed.

Before the publication of the report into last year's problems, the exam company Edexcel has been announced as the "preferred bidder" to take over the running of next year's tests.

'Delivery failure'

Edexcel had previously held the contract for the Sats tests before it was awarded to ETS Europe, the company which had its contract terminated as a result of this year's problems.

Lord Sutherland is to deliver his findings into what caused the administrative chaos in this year's Sats tests and how exam authorities responded to the emerging catalogue of problems.

Dr Boston, who headed the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, resigned at the weekend over what he called the "delivery failure" over the tests.

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Half of the tests are being scrapped, and the Children's Secretary Ed Balls has announced that there will be no more compulsory Sats tests for 14-year-olds.

More heads could roll if Lord Sutherland produces a damning report into what the government calls "severe problems" with the tests.

Attention will be focused on the National Assessment Agency - the part of the QCA responsible for commissioning and overseeing the testing process.

Lord Sutherland's report will seek to establish why it appeared to take so long for any intervention when there were well-publicised warnings of problems with this year's tests

MPs in the House of Commons had said the tests had become a "shambles" in May, long before the scheduled results date in July.

Speaking ahead of the inquiry results, the head of the ATL teachers' union, Dr Mary Bousted, said there needed "to be a complete overhaul of testing in English schools where we have the most tested children in Europe".

She added: "Lessons must be learned from this year's debacle about the commissioning and delivery of education by private companies."

The Conservative party's schools spokesman, Nick Gibb, said that re-appointing Edexcel meant that ministers were now back to where they started before the Sats problems.