Comment: Real test now is to put things right

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A string of horror stories emerged during the summer over the problems that hit the crucial tests and more than 100,000 pupils broke up for the holidays without knowing their grades.

Ministers have launched an inquiry into what went wrong but their decision to go ahead and publish national figures - based on incomplete data - has merely reignited the controversy. Schools say they have "no confidence" in the accuracy of the marking this year and even Ed Balls's own statisticians have issued a warning that today's figures are provisional and subject to the outcome of the inquiry.

Sats are undoubtedly stressful for children, who spend much of their final year at primary school being coached in what they need to know to pass. Pressure to meet government targets means teachers are denied the freedom to deliver a rounded education.

There are also fears that the results, when they finally come, exaggerate pupils' true abilities.

Despite the hard work of children and teachers, the sad reality is that many secondary schools have long since stopped taking any notice of Sats and make pupils take fresh tests as soon as they arrive.

Ministers have finally acknowledged that the system may need reform but questions remain over whether they can devise a replacement that does not make matters worse.