---

SATs Testing

I have already answered that question a number of times. I am accountable for schools policy, including the testing regime, but it is a principle of that regime that national curriculum tests are set and managed at arm's length from Ministers. That is because Ministers should not interfere with how those tests are set and managed, and that is why the contract is managed at arm's length by the QCA, with ETS Europe. A contractual discussion is going on between the QCA and ETS Europe, which together are responsible for delivering the test results. Both organisations have apologised because they have not met the expectations of pupils or the outputs that they specified in their contract. That is where the responsibility lies.