SATs nightmare for Rochdale schools

The nationwide problems with this year's Sats tests have been reflected in Rochdale's primary schools. Although most schools now have a full complement of results, many arrived more than two weeks late and some pupils have now gone away for the summer holiday without knowing their results.

Some teachers have also complained at the standard of the marking. Pat Moore, assistant head-teacher at Shawclough Primary School said: "It’s appalling and not only is the delay appalling, the marking is disgraceful.”

Dave Willis, headteacher at Elmwood Primary School in Middleton, said: “It's absolutely appalling. We were very disappointed with the results, and we’ve had to send off 37 papers for re-marks. We’ve had every possible combination of blunders with these exams.”

Meanwhile Jean O'Neil, headteacher at St Peter's Primary School, has sent back the school's Key Stage Two English papers after she was horrified by some of the marks awarded, saying that children who had clearly done well in the test had been given similar marks, or even worse, to those who had not performed as well.

A spokesman for Rochdale Council said there was nothing it could do about the standard of marking or the delay in receiving results and did not wish to make a comment.

Around one in five primary schools in England are currently without results and there are widespread fears that some papers have been lost altogether.