Section 6: Test administration
About the testing window, keeping materials secure, the headteacher's declaration form (HDF) and reporting results
The KS1 tests do not have set days for their administration, and they may be administered to groups of children on different days, but schools must administer the tests during May 2016, except where a school has been selected to administer one of the tests early in April. Pupils must only be allowed take each test once.
A number of schools will be selected to administer one of the KS1 tests in April 2016 to inform the standard setting for the tests. These schools should do all the other tests in May. For any schools selected to administer one of the KS1 tests in April 2016, participation is statutory.
It’s the headteacher’s responsibility to ensure that anyone who is involved in administering and marking the tests reads, follows and understands the published guidance.Schools should use the sample materials to prepare for the administration of the live tests. Test specific instructions will be provided with the live tests. These instructions will contain test specific content so they must only be accessed immediately before the administration of each test.
Headteachers are responsible for making sure:
- pupils have the correct test materials and equipment
- the tests are introduced and administered according to the guidance provided
- pupils are aware of what they are required to do and the time they will be given to complete the test
- that, where appropriate that access arrangements are made available to pupils
- no additional support, information or help which would provide an unfair advantage is given to pupils with the content of the tests
If any pupil’s response to a test doesn’t represent their own independent work, the headteacher should be informed. The headteacher must contact their LA for guidance on what action should be taken.
A school could be subject to a maladministration investigation if it doesn’t comply with the test administration guidance. Allegations of maladministration can come from misunderstandings about correct test administration. To help avoid this, all staff, pupils and parents should understand how and when the tests will be administered.
Headteachers must ensure that the integrity of the tests is maintained so that no pupil has an unfair advantage.
The test materials must be kept secure and treated as confidential from the point they are received in school until the end of May. Guidance about keeping test materials secure will be published later in the assessment cycle.
Test packs should be opened in the test room when the pupils are ready to start the test. The content of the tests must not be used to prepare pupils. This could lead to inaccurate results that do not represent the pupils’ unaided abilities.
Teachers and test administrators mustn’t discuss the content of the test papers with anyone or use question-specific information to prepare pupils for the test. In particular, specific content which could compromise the test must not be discussed on social media or published in blogs.
After the tests have been administered the test materials must be kept securely until the end of May. A breach of the security of the test materials or using the test content to prepare pupils could lead to a maladministration investigation at the school.
Headteachers will be required to complete and submit a headteacher’s declaration form for the KS1 tests. The form will confirm that the tests have been administered according to the published guidance or that any issues have been raised with STA. The deadline for submission of the headteacher’s declaration form is Friday 1 July 2016.
Schools are not required to report test results to their LA or the next school when a pupil moves. However, where the school has recorded this data it can choose whether to include these results in any data provided to the LA or next school (see section 10). LAs do not give test results to the DfE.
Schools are not obliged to report test results to parents in an annual report (see section 9). However, parents must be allowed access to their child’s results on request.