§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what procedures are in place to prevent the improper early opening and misuse of key stage 2 test papers. [29717]
§ Mr. PaiceTeachers have received clear advice about procedures in the "Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements 1996" booklet distributed by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority to all participating schools. Headteachers are required to keep the test papers and the separately packaged mark schemes as confidential and stored securely from receipt in school until the day of the particular tests. Early opening of the tests is permissible120W for pupils with special requirements but specific permission has to be requested for pupils without a statement of special educational needs. In all cases it remains the headteachers' responsibility to ensure that the contents of the test papers are kept confidential.