HEADTEACHERS have expressed their "horror" after learning that thousands of children's national test papers sent for remarking come back with higher grades.

The Northern Echo can reveal that up to 75 per cent of maths papers resubmitted to the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) in Newcastle, were unfairly marked last year.

Unions have branded the figure the "tip of the iceberg" with many budget-conscious schools wary about paying the £5 per paper for remarking.

At Hurworth Primary School, in Darlington, headteacher Trevor Drury sent four writing script papers, part of the English Key Stage 2 test, back last summer believing they were blatantly mis-marked.

All the papers came back with a higher grading and one child was moved up an entire level from four to five in English. He said he would have liked to have submitted the entire year group, but it would have cost £180 and he risked some not being marked higher. He eventually opted for the four which were obviously unfairly marked.

"It is disturbing," said Mr Drury.

"There was no explanation or apology and that to me makes it seem like a cold, bureaucratic organisation.

"The rules are not very clear. Had I known then that, if one child is remarked higher you get your money back, I would have submitted more."

It was not widely known that there would be a refund for incorrectly marked papers.

The exam board AQA marks Standardised Attainment Tests (Sats), GCSE and some A-Level papers across most of the country. Sats are the Government's benchmark for assessing standards in schools, and tests are taken by pupils at ages seven, 11 and 14.

The papers can be resubmitted for clerical errors or where unfair marking is suspected.

Figures obtained by The Northern Echo reveal that 68 per cent of Key Stage 3 English papers for 14-year-olds that were resubmitted were found to have errors , and 62 per cent of science papers.

At Key Stage 2, for 11-year-olds, 48 per cent of resubmitted papers were unfairly marked, with 55 per cent of maths, and 50 per cent of science. Key Stage 1 papers are marked in school with visiting external auditors.

Christine Watts' 12-year-old daughter, Isobel, was one of the Hurworth Primary pupils whose paper was re-marked last summer. Her grade was boosted by five per cent.

"I always assumed that there would be quality control already there," said Mrs Watts, of Darlington.

"But if it isn't, there really needs to be some kind of external body monitoring them (AQA). It could make a difference which set they go into at their comprehensive schools."

Hans Ruyssenaars, national executive member for Cleveland of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) said the figures were "worrying."

"When you get national tests like Sats, people tend to believe the result you get are fair and accurate. So it would not surprise me if this was just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

Ann Elliott, headteacher of Horton Grange County First School in Blyth, Northumberland, said: "I'm horrified with the number of changes. These are only the ones which have been sent back - how many more are there?

"If the Government are paying out so many millions to a firm to mark them, then surely they should have some kind of external auditor. It really leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth."

The Qualification Curriculum Authority (QCA), regulatory body of AQA, said of the 600,000 pupils who took the tests at each key stage, only a "very small" percentage were sent back for remarking. Figures last year ranged from 264 reviews of papers to 6155.

A spokeswoman said: "There is an extremely rigorous process they go through to become markers. For each one there is a common mark scheme that markers have to adhere to."

Comment - Page 8