De Beauvoir Primary investigated over exam ‘maladministration’

Under investigation: De Beauvoir Primary on Tottenham Road.

A group of students at De Beauvoir Primary School have had their 2014 Key Stage 2 tests annulled following an investigation into exam maladministration at the school, the Hackney Citizen can reveal.

The group of Year Six students affected will not receive a score for their mental maths test, and the exam papers in question have not counted toward the students’ Key Stage 2 assessments.

As a result of the investigation, the students’ evaluations will be based entirely on moderated teacher assessments, rather than the usual combination of test results and teacher-led assessments.

A spokesperson for the Learning Trust said: “We have confirmation from the Department for Education (DfE) that one group of the mental maths tests at De Beauvoir primary school’s 2014 Key Stage 2 tests have been annulled due to maladministration.”

A spokesman for the DfE’s Standards and Testing Agency (STA), which led the investigation, said: “Following an investigation into the administration of 2014 Key Stage 2 tests at De Beauvoir Primary School, the decision was made to annul a number of the children’s mental mathematics results.”

“Any instances of maladministration that lead to the annulment or amendment of children’s test results are completely unacceptable.”

However, a spokesperson for the STA also told the Hackney Citizen that the “pupils will not be affected” by the incident.

The matter will now be subject to an internal investigation by The Learning Trust.

The STA neither apportions blame for maladministration nor takes part in any disciplinary procedures relating to maladministration.

The STA’s remit when investigating allegations of maladministration is simply to determine whether there is doubt over the accuracy or correctness of children’s results and outcomes for the national curriculum assessments.