Comment: Sats turmoil

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The Government's decision today to terminate the contract of the company running Sats tests, ETS, raises more questions than it answers. ETS's blunders have led to test results for 1.2 million children being delayed, while many other results have been faulty, with widespread reports of whole classes being marked absent and the like. Yet responsibility for pressing ahead with the contract lies firmly with ministers. Nor have they suggested any real alternative to the present system. Schools Secretary Ed Balls was warned of potential problems over ETS's operations, and did nothing about it. Moreover, while the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority will now invite other companies to bid for the contract, it is far from clear who will do so. Two of the three main exams boards are said to be unlikely to bid, yet there are not only nine months before pupils take next year's tests.

The wider problem is with the whole Sats testing regime, which has been blamed for narrowing children's education and encouraging teachers to "teach to the test". One recent survey found that nine out of 10 secondary-school teachers now regard Sats results as a fundamentally unreliable measure of ability, so heavily have many children been coached.

Mr Balls has said that he wants to move to a more flexible testing system. But what teachers, parents and children now need are clear decisions on the future of testing.