Management Information Sheet
2012 Key Stage 2 Test Security and Administration Monitoring Visits by LA Representatives
You will probably be aware that the Local Authority has a statutory duty to carry out unannounced test security and monitoring visits, to a sample of schools before, during and after the test weeks each summer.
In 2012, in accordance with guidance from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) of the DfE, advisers from Norfolk County Council Children's Services will visit a sample of schools in the period before the Key Stage 2 tests are due to be administered, as well as during and after the actual test sessions.
At least ten percent of Norfolk primary schools with Key Stage 2 pupils will be visited. The main purpose of the visits made before the test week is to check that the test paper packages are unopened and stored securely. A visit of this type will last approximately half an hour. The majority of visits will be made during the test week. The purpose of these visits is to check the security of test packages and to observe the administration of the tests. These will necessarily take longer and could last up to three hours.
The advisers carrying out the monitoring visits will complete a record of the visit using the STA monitoring form. As in previous years, we expect that in the vast majority of cases advisers will be able to record that they are confident about the security and test administration arrangements in every school visited. The completed form will be shown to the headteacher and a photocopy will be left with the headteacher for their own records.
If the adviser identifies any issues that cause concern, these will be discussed with the headteacher at the end of the visit so that, where necessary, appropriate alterations to the test procedures for any remaining tests can be made.
Headteachers and others responsible for test arrangements must ensure that great care is taken to follow precisely the information and guidance set out in the 2012 Key Stage 2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet (ARA). www.education.gov.uk
The Key Stage 2 Test Administrators Guide for 2012 is a separate booklet and can be accessed via the weblink: www.orderline.education.gov.uk
Any cases of irregularity identified during the visits, or reported subsequently, will be notified to STA who will investigate them. The Local Authority has a statutory duty to work with STA in these cases and will normally carry out the preliminary investigation on their behalf. STA has a responsibility to review the outcomes of these preliminary investigations, make further enquiries where necessary, and determine what further action to take.
Maladministration and malpractice are viewed very seriously and these, or any other action that affects the integrity of pupils' test levels, may result in test results being annulled and withheld from the school, who may not then report them to parents. These results will also not be included in STA Performance Tables.
Schools that will be part of the writing or science sampling in 2012 have already been notified by STA.
All other documents relating to this process can be found at: www.education.gov.uk
These visits have a vital role to play in supporting and acknowledging the high professional standards that the vast majority of schools achieve in respect of these tests, and in maintaining public confidence. The advisers carrying out the visits are all experienced in this work, and have consistently commented on the highly professional manner in which they have been received by schools in previous years. We look forward to a continuation of this positive professional collaboration in 2012 for the benefit of all Norfolk's schools, their teachers and pupils.
If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Janet Warburton (Senior Adviser) via Elizabeth Philpot on 01603 307776 or email elizabeth.philpot@nofolk.gov.uk.
In 2012, in accordance with guidance from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) of the DfE, advisers from Norfolk County Council Children's Services will visit a sample of schools in the period before the Key Stage 2 tests are due to be administered, as well as during and after the actual test sessions.
At least ten percent of Norfolk primary schools with Key Stage 2 pupils will be visited. The main purpose of the visits made before the test week is to check that the test paper packages are unopened and stored securely. A visit of this type will last approximately half an hour. The majority of visits will be made during the test week. The purpose of these visits is to check the security of test packages and to observe the administration of the tests. These will necessarily take longer and could last up to three hours.
The advisers carrying out the monitoring visits will complete a record of the visit using the STA monitoring form. As in previous years, we expect that in the vast majority of cases advisers will be able to record that they are confident about the security and test administration arrangements in every school visited. The completed form will be shown to the headteacher and a photocopy will be left with the headteacher for their own records.
If the adviser identifies any issues that cause concern, these will be discussed with the headteacher at the end of the visit so that, where necessary, appropriate alterations to the test procedures for any remaining tests can be made.
Headteachers and others responsible for test arrangements must ensure that great care is taken to follow precisely the information and guidance set out in the 2012 Key Stage 2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet (ARA). www.education.gov.uk
The Key Stage 2 Test Administrators Guide for 2012 is a separate booklet and can be accessed via the weblink: www.orderline.education.gov.uk
Any cases of irregularity identified during the visits, or reported subsequently, will be notified to STA who will investigate them. The Local Authority has a statutory duty to work with STA in these cases and will normally carry out the preliminary investigation on their behalf. STA has a responsibility to review the outcomes of these preliminary investigations, make further enquiries where necessary, and determine what further action to take.
Maladministration and malpractice are viewed very seriously and these, or any other action that affects the integrity of pupils' test levels, may result in test results being annulled and withheld from the school, who may not then report them to parents. These results will also not be included in STA Performance Tables.
Schools that will be part of the writing or science sampling in 2012 have already been notified by STA.
All other documents relating to this process can be found at: www.education.gov.uk
These visits have a vital role to play in supporting and acknowledging the high professional standards that the vast majority of schools achieve in respect of these tests, and in maintaining public confidence. The advisers carrying out the visits are all experienced in this work, and have consistently commented on the highly professional manner in which they have been received by schools in previous years. We look forward to a continuation of this positive professional collaboration in 2012 for the benefit of all Norfolk's schools, their teachers and pupils.
If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Janet Warburton (Senior Adviser) via Elizabeth Philpot on 01603 307776 or email elizabeth.philpot@nofolk.gov.uk.