Mr Anthony McNamara, headteacher at St Augustine's RC High School, Billington, says he feels "badly let down" after "bungling" examiners recorded Year 9 pupils who sat the tests as absent.

US firm Educational Training Testing Services won a five-year £165m. contract to deliver the results for the National Assessment Agency and the error is being blamed on a data collection issue.

One disappointed 14-year-old pupils said: "I have worked so hard and have put a lot of effort into my studies over the year. My teachers have been supportive and helped me prepare. Now I'm going to have to wait until next term to find out how I've done."



Online results for SATs in English, maths and science sat by Key Stage 3 pupils were supposed to be available earlier this month. However, when staff came to download the results they found more than 200 pupils had been marked absent for their maths exam. They only received the science and half the English papers – leaving 100 pupils without their English results.

Mr McNamara said: "It does not help schools when blunders like these are made. When staff found out about this mistake on Friday afternoon they were stunned. It's a disgrace and I feel badly let down."

Find out what the National Assessment Agency has to say about the blunder in today's Clitheroe Advertiser & Times.