Lord Sutherland appointed to lead test inquiry
07 July 2008
Stewart Sutherland (Lord Sutherland of Houndwood) has agreed to report to Ofqual on the problems with the delivery of the national curriculum tests in the summer of 2008.
Stewart Sutherland (Lord Sutherland of Houndwood) has agreed to report to Ofqual on the problems with the delivery of the national curriculum tests in the summer of 2008 and to report separately to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the delivery of the Department's policy by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the National Assessment Agency. Both reports will be published later in the year.
Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual, today said:
"I am delighted that Stewart Sutherland will lead this important inquiry into the problems with the delivery of the 2008 national curriculum tests. He is a leading independent expert with considerable experience of education and I am confident that, under his leadership, a fair, thorough and transparent inquiry will take place.
"Ofqual is committed to ensuring that pupils, teachers and parents receive an explanation of why test results have not been delivered on time this year and that they can feel reassured that this will not happen again."
Lord Sutherland, Chair of the independent inquiry, said:
"I am pleased to have been asked to conduct this inquiry into the problems with the delivery of the 2008 national curriculum tests. I will look at all the factors that have led to the late delivery of the results and will report back in the autumn term. Over the next few months I will be speaking with people in the National Assessment Agency and at ETS, the new marking contractor. I will also be seeking the views of markers, schools and local authorities.
"I will report rigorously on the failure to deliver the results this year and make recommendations to ensure that this situation does not happen again. I recognise that pupils and teachers work hard throughout the year and so deserve to get the results of the tests on time."
Notes to Editors
1. Ofqual in its interim form is a part of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). On 2 April 2008 Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, announced that the government intended to legislate to make Ofqual a separate statutory authority reporting directly to Parliament.
2. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, announced the appointment of Kathleen Tattersall as Chair of Ofqual on 2 April 2008. Prior to legislation being passed to establish Ofqual on a statutory basis, Kathleen Tattersall is a QCA Board member and Chair of its Ofqual committee.
3. Lord Sutherland of Houndwood
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood has a distinguished service in education. As Principal of King's College London (1985-90), Lord Sutherland served on Birkbeck's Board of Governors as University of London governor (1988-91) to represent the interests of the university community.
In 1990 Lord Sutherland became Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, heading the federation of 19 colleges and numerous specialist institutes. Four years later he became Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh (1994-2002), a role now held by Professor Tim O'Shea, a former Master of Birkbeck.
He is currently Provost at Gresham College, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and member of the board of the Courtauld Institute of Art. Lord Sutherland has made many contributions in the broader area of education, serving as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools in England (1992–94) and as honorary President of the Christian Education Movement in Scotland. He has published studies on higher education and served as a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (1995–2001), which funds and promotes high-quality teaching and research in universities and colleges in England.
With an interest in the care of the elderly, he has chaired the Royal Commission on the Long-Term Care of the Elderly (1997–99). He now serves as the President of national charity Alzheimer Scotland - Action on Dementia and as Chair of the English Community Care Association.
Born Stewart Sutherland in 1941 in Aberdeen, Lord Sutherland was educated at Woodside School, Aberdeen, and Robert Gordon’s College. In 1963 he graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a first-class MA Philosophy, and two years later he received an MA Philosophy of Religion from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He commenced his academic career in 1965 as assistant lecturer at the University College of North Wales and became lecturer and then reader at the University of Stirling (1968-77). He went on to take the role of Professor of Philosophy of Religion at King’s College London, becoming Titular Professor in 1985 and Vice-Principal in 1981.
A respected writer, he is author of Atheism and the Rejection of God; God, Jesus and Belief; and Faith and Ambiguity, and co-author of The World’s Religions and Religion, Reason and the Self.
In recognition of his achievements, Lord Sutherland has received numerous distinctions, including 10 honorary degrees from European and American universities. An elected Fellow of the British Academy, he holds honorary fellowships from King’s College London; Corpus Christi Cambridge and the University College of North Wales.
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