THE Government, in its drive to improve the standards of education, has relied heavily on assessments and school league tables.

That has added to the bureaucratic burden complained of in a profession beset with low morale and recruitment problems.

So, given the pressures placed on schools, it is imperative that teachers have complete faith in the accuracy of the system, even if they do not agree with all of its principles.

Our front page story today about the question marks hanging over the accuracy of the marking of Standard Assessment Tests is a cause for concern.

Up to 75 per cent of maths papers resubmitted to the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) in Newcastle were found to have been unfairly marked. Teachers have also expressed worries over English and science papers.

AQA is a private enterprise which charges £5 for every re-marked paper, although the fee is reimbursed if unfairness is confirmed.

For all those which are upgraded, how many others have not been resubmitted because of the cost?

It should be stressed that these are not examinations leading to qualifications to be carried through life. They are about assessing a school's performance.

But if they are considered to be such an important element of the Government's drive to monitor standards, and if children are being placed under intense pressure to get through them, it is quite simple - they should be right.

Of course, we accept that mistakes will always be made, but the level of errors suggests that there are far too many.

Accountability is at the heart of the drive to improve standards in our schools. Teachers are made to be accountable for their performance, and we accept the need for that.

But what about the accountability of those paid to assess that performance?

Is anyone checking the performance of an organisation paid to do a job, with legitimate questions being asked about its accuracy rates?

We believe it is an issue for the Secretary of State for Education, Estelle Morris, to investigate, at least to provide some reassurance that enough care is being taken.