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Written question asked by Baroness Blower (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

National Curriculum Tests

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of, and amount of time, that (1) teaching staff, and (2) school support staff, are working on activity relating to SATs during the school holidays.

Answer

The department recognises that the delay in delivering exam results is unacceptable and has created additional work, uncertainty and frustration for schools at an already busy time of year. Pupils, parents and staff rightly expect the system to work effectively. Pearson are fully responsible and have apologised for their failure to deliver the key stage 2 results on time and for the impact this has had on schools, pupils and parents.

The former Secretary of State for Education listened to feedback from schools about the original revised deadline of 24 July for applications for marking and clerical reviews of pupils' scripts, in which schools made clear the practical difficulties this would create where summer holidays had already commenced, or would shortly begin after results were returned. In response, the former Secretary of State for Education approved an extension to the review application deadline until 7 September 2026. This will provide schools with more time to consider results, and submit any review requests, where appropriate, during term time.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2052
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Staff National curriculum tests Teachers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk