School leaders’ union criticises “unacceptable” SATs results delay

Yesterday [Thursday, 16 July] the Department for Education published the latest Key Stage 2 attainment figures. It also announced its plans to launch an independent review into the disruption surrounding their release.

However, school leaders have criticised the “unacceptable” delay to the release of this year’s SATs results.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said the delay had placed an additional burden on schools at the end of the academic year. The union is calling on government to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at NAHT, said:

“Children, teachers and school leaders have worked incredibly hard throughout the year and deserve huge credit for their achievements.

“However, these tests take up a disproportionate amount of time and place enormous strain on children and school staff for little obvious benefit – and this has been compounded by another unacceptable delay in delivering results this year.

“SATs tell teachers nothing they don’t already know from working with pupils every day and are instead unfairly used to judge and compare school performance.

“The curriculum and assessment review was a missed opportunity to reduce unnecessary primary school tests – but given the misguided weight that continues to be attached to them, the very least children and schools deserve is for the process to run smoothly and results to be returned on time.

“School leaders and staff have been landed with the unenviable task of processing results right at the end of term – after the end of term in some areas. 

“Downloading and scrutinising the data, identifying anomalies, preparing communications for parents, and ensuring that results are distributed appropriately, is an enormous undertaking – and there is also a knock-on effect when it comes to requesting reviews of marking, even with the extended deadline for this.

“These delays must not be allowed to happen again, and the government must ensure Pearson and STA, which are responsible for delivering these tests, are held accountable for this shambles.

“NAHT will participate in the independent review announced by government and make sure our members’ experiences and views are represented in the strongest possible terms.”

Despite the controversy, the latest figures show a modest improvement in attainment. In 2026, 63 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is up from 62 per cent last year.

The government data shows gains in maths, writing and grammar, punctuation and spelling, while reading attainment remained stable. Ministers said the delay was caused by technical issues rather than concerns about the quality of marking or the accuracy of results.

Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

“Congratulations to every pupil, teacher and family who has worked so hard towards these assessments – you should be enormously proud.

“I know the delay in results – which Pearson rightly apologised for – has caused frustration, but the real and sustained progress we are now seeing in pupil’s achievements deserves to be celebrated.  

“That is testament to the dedication of teachers, leaders and support staff. This government is backing families and backing schools in delivering our mission to truly break the link between where a child grows up, and what they go on to achieve.”

This year’s results point to continued improvement in Key Stage 2 attainment. However, the delayed release of SATs results has tempered the positive headline figures. As schools celebrate gains in key subjects, the government’s independent review will be closely watched by the sector. Many leaders are calling for greater reliability in the testing process and wider debate about the role and value of SATs in primary education.