Ofqual welcomes Lord Sutherland's report
Tuesday, 16 December 2008 11:52
Ofqual today welcomed Lord Sutherland's report into the delivery of the National Curriculum tests in 2008.
As regulator, Ofqual commissioned Lord Sutherland to carry out an independent inquiry and report on what went wrong in 2008 and how to prevent a recurrence. Ofqual also asked Lord Sutherland to provide advice on how the regulation of the National Curriculum tests could be strengthened.
Pupils, teachers and parents were badly let down by the failure to deliver National Curriculum test results on time this year. Lord Sutherland's report clearly states where the responsibilities lie and identifies many areas where improvements need to be made and lessons need to be learnt.
Ofqual has accepted all of Lord Sutherland's recommendations relating to the regulation of the National Curriculum tests and has today published a paper containing its response to those recommendations.
The Ofqual Chair, Kathleen Tattersall, has today written to Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, welcoming Lord Sutherland's report and his emphasis on Ofqual's need for sufficient powers and resources to implement the improvements recommended to the regulation of National Curriculum tests.
Welcoming the report, Ofqual Chair, Kathleen Tattersall, said:
"I would like to thank Lord Sutherland for his detailed, thorough and fair report. I wholeheartedly accept Lord Sutherland's recommendations in relation to the regulation of National Curriculum tests. Ofqual has already begun to make changes in the areas in which Lord Sutherland identifies concerns and I am confident that these changes will result in more effective regulation of the tests. We must ensure that standards are maintained and rebuild the confidence of pupils, parents, teachers, schools and the wider public.
"I am pleased that Lord Sutherland recognises the importance of having an independent regulator and that Ofqual has made good progress in developing its independent and critical voice. We need the resources and powers to do our job properly and we will work tirelessly to ensure that this is the case.
"This year is not the first time that we have seen problems with the delivery of the National Curriculum tests. There are systemic issues which must be addressed. I therefore welcome Lord Sutherland's recommendation to modernise the system and pilot on-screen marking. As regulator, we will ensure that onscreen marking is properly trialled and that its introduction does not disadvantage pupils in any way.
"Ofqual welcomed the announcement about the removal of key stage 3 tests but there is clearly much work to be done to ensure the safe delivery of the 2009 key stage 2 tests. I remain absolutely committed to working in the best interests of learners in regulating the key stage 2 tests next year."
Notes to editors
1. Following the failure to deliver the national curriculum test results on time Ofqual asked Lord Sutherland to lead an independent inquiry into the failure. A copy of the report can be downloaded from the Sutherland Inquiry website.
2. Ofqual's response to Lord Sutherland's recommendations and correspondence between Ofqual's Chair, Kathleen Tattersall, and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families can be found on the Ofqual website.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
