§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the weight and the number of packages involved in delivering the key stage 3 material to the average secondary school in England; and what assessment he has made of the capacity of such schools to store this material.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe weight and number of packages of the tests delivered will depend on the size of the school. A typical school would need approximately 1,900 test papers and associated mark schemes in English, maths, science, and technology for all their pupils undergoing key stage 3 testing. This would weigh approximately 99 kgs.
As they were delivered shortly before the start of the tests, storage of the papers should not pose a long-term problem.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what percentage of schools conducted key stage 3 tests on 7 June; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what percentage of 14-year-olds sat key stage 3 tests on 7 June; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattenPrecise information is not yet available. Parents and the public more widely will rightly question why all schools did not administer the test which was a sound and straightforward basis on which to measure pupils' reading and writing skills. It provides vital information for teachers to help children who are failing in these areas. Schools which carried out the test will gain a clear idea of how their pupils perform in reading and writing against national standards.