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You've messed up our Sats, minister
Elizabeth Hopkirk and Tim Ross18 Jul 2008
Children and parents caught up in the Sats marking fiasco today condemned Schools Secretary Ed Balls for refusing to apologise.
Mr Balls has declined to say sorry for the shambles, which delayed crucial maths, science and English results for more than one million pupils in England.
As teachers warned this year's results would be a "lottery" because of poor marking standards, pupils said they were desperate to know how they had performed.
Jarvey Torres, 14, a pupil at Haling Manor High School in Croydon, said: "It's terrible having to wait. Every morning you wake up not knowing.
"I put loads of hard work in. Ed Balls doesn't know what we are going through right now. He doesn't feel what we feel. He should say sorry because it's putting loads of stress on pupils, parents and teachers."
Pierre Evans, 13, from Norwood, wants to be a vet and has ambitions to study at Oxford or Cambridge. He did his science test a year early, on his 13th birthday.
He said the delay was giving him sleepless nights. "It's making me really anxious," he said. "I just want to know how I did. It's not just the grades - it will affect my confidence as well. "I would like Ed Balls to explain what's happening and to apologise. He's in charge and he needs to make sure he employs people who are up to the job. I don't think he understands the stress we are going through."
ETS Europe, the company running the tests, has been warned it faces "tens of millions" of pounds in financial penalties after failing to deliver the results on time.
Most 11-year-olds have now received their results but at least 120,000 14-year-olds are expected to have to wait until September. One MP claimed this week that teenagers who had only recently completed their A-levels have been brought in to clear the backlog.
Haling Manor's deputy head Peter Whear said he feared results were "clearly going to be a lottery" because of the poor standard of marking.
Graham Barnett, a 14-year-old pupil from Kenley, said: "ETS haven't worked nearly as hard as we have. They should try as hard as they can to be spot-on with the marks because it's so important for us."
Classmate Ashleigh Christie, 14, from South Norwood, said she was "very disappointed", adding: "I hope this is the last time this happens.".
Nisha Deenoo, 14, from South Norwood, added: "It's stressful not knowing how I did. It's not really fair."
Jane Farrell, 43, a company director from Coulsdon, said her 14-year-old son George was extremely disappointed after working so hard. No one in the Government seems to be taking it seriously," she said.
The tests for 11-year-olds are arguably even more important than those for pupils aged 14, with children's future streaming at secondary school and primary school league table positions riding on the outcomes. Tim Benson, head of Nelson Primary School in East Ham, described the marking as "a total shambles" and said he suspected some pupils had been marked down.
"It has obviously been chaos," he said. "I have no confidence in this year's results at all. Parents are very concerned and want to know the children's official results."
ETS said its markers underwent rigorous checks and insisted it was working hard to ensure schools got their results.
Reader views (2)
Be honourable, Mr. Balls. Resign!
- Pt, London, 20/07/2008 14:00
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Absolutely typical of this half-witted government. They have nothing but contempt for the people of this country - I'm surprised they don't tax the results. Balls is a disgrace and not fit to be a minister.
- Adam, London, UK, 18/07/2008 13:57
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