How to report maladministration of primary school assessments
Reporting concerns, including pupil cheating, about the administration of national curriculum assessments in primary schools.
How to report a concern
Please call the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013 or email STA.maladministration@education.gov.uk to report concerns about:
- how the reception baseline assessment (RBA), phonics screening check, multiplication tables check (MTC) or key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests have been administered in a school or by a member of staff
- how KS2 teacher assessment judgements have been reached
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) investigates all reported allegations of maladministration. For more information about this process, you can refer to the guidance detailing how allegations of maladministration are investigated, including local authority visits to schools.
What is maladministration?
Maladministration refers to any act that:
- affects the integrity, security or confidentiality of the national curriculum assessments
- could lead to results that do not reflect pupils’ unaided work
- compromises the validity and integrity of the data used by secondary schools (for pupil planning and subsequent pupil learning), the Department for Education and parents
Maladministration of the RBA, phonics screening check, MTC or KS2 tests can be unintentional or intentional. It can include:
- test or check administrators over-aiding pupils
- making changes to pupils’ test scripts
- schools reporting pupils’ phonics screening check scores incorrectly
- schools allowing pupils to restart the MTC for a reason other than those permitted, as outlined in the administration guidance
- schools applying access arrangements for pupils taking the MTC which are not a part of their normal classroom practice
- administering the RBA outside of school hours
- schools completing the RBA by inputting answers on a pupil’s behalf or not recording the pupil’s answer
- unauthorised additional time or timetable variation in the KS2 tests
- failure to notify STA of the use of a scribe, transcribe, word processors, or other technical or electronic aid in the KS2 tests
- failure to appropriately remove or cover room displays
- early opening of assessment materials without permission
- disclosing test content to a third party or publicly, including online or on social media, before and within the test window – including during timetable variation week
Maladministration of teacher assessment can include:
- changes to teacher assessment judgements by school staff to influence school assessment outcomes
- submitting different data to that agreed during local authority moderation
- submitting pupils’ work as independent even though it has been heavily supported by an adult, as evidence to justify teacher assessment judgements (scaffolding evidence)
- incorrect or invalid writing evidence
Updates to this page
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Updated definitions in line with the latest maladministration investigation procedures
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Updated guidance for 2024
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First published.