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Statutory guidance

Primary assessments: investigating maladministration allegations

Procedures and guidance for local authorities about investigating claims of cheating, malpractice or maladministration in the national curriculum assessments.

Updates to this page

From:
Standards and Testing Agency
Published:
27 March 2018
Last updated:
23 March 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated for the academic year 2025 to 2026.

  2. Guidance updated for the academic year 2024 to 2025. Updates to the maladministration procedures include: additional examples of maladministration, details added to roles and responsibilities, changes to what information will be reviewed regarding the reception baseline assessment and in decision meetings, and changes to the treatment of single test annulments in key stage 2. Updates to the maladministration visits guidance include: clarification on keeping photographs from visits confidential.

  3. Updated guidance for 2024.

  4. Updated for the 2023 test cycle

  5. Updated guidance for the current academic year. (The investigation visits guidance, remains unchanged and was last update May 2019)

  6. Added note to inform of the content user of the next update for the documents on this page.

  7. Updated for the 2019 test cycle.

  8. First published.

Documents

National curriculum assessments: maladministration investigation procedures

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2026 key stage 2 and phonics maladministration investigation visits guidance

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Details

We will update this guidance in March 2027 for the academic year 2026 to 2027.

This guidance is for local authorities and provides details about investigating maladministration in the national curriculum assessments, including the:

  • reception baseline assessment (RBA)
  • phonics screening check
  • multiplication tables check (MTC)
  • key stage 2 (KS2) tests and teacher assessment

The investigation procedures outline how the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) investigates allegations of maladministration and covers:

  • types of maladministration allegations
  • roles and responsibilities
  • investigation and decision making processes
  • potential investigation outcomes and further actions

The investigation visits guidance explains how local authorities carry out school visits as part of STA’s investigations into allegations of maladministration.

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