Key Stage 2 Sats Results and the Pearson-Administered National Curriculum Assessment
Tabled 2 July 2026 by Shockat Adam
That this House notes with concern that Key Stage 2 Sats results have been delayed until 16 July 2026, over a week after the scheduled date of 7 July; further notes that this is the first year of Pearson's £180 million contract to administer the tests, following its takeover from Capita; also notes with alarm reports of persistent technical faults on the new ModMark marking platform, including failed logins and processing delays, and union calls for the assessment series to be nationalised amid what has been described as an "omnishambles"; notes reports of at least one instance of a mark being misattributed to the wrong question by the system, raising doubts about accuracy as well as timeliness; observes that these problems were foreseeable, given that the NAHT raised concerns with the Standards and Testing Agency in May and was assured preparations were on track; further notes the Government's stated ambition to end the era of outsourcing by default; and calls on the Government to set out what assessment was made of Pearson's readiness, what independent scrutiny will be applied to Pearson's contract performance including whether a formal review will be triggered, and what support will be made available to schools whose end-of-year planning has been disrupted.