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Statutory guidance: Key stage 2 tests: local authority monitoring visits

Standards Testing Agency

March 25
09:30 2024

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to monitor the administration of key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests. This guidance outlines how local authority representatives should do this.

Monitoring visits help to ensure that:

  • the security and confidentiality of test materials are maintained
  • KS2tests are administered correctly and consistently

Monitoring visits also give headteachers a formal opportunity to demonstrate how their school is administeringthetests.

Local authoritiesmust undertake monitoring visits to at least 10% of their schools, including:

  • local authoritymaintained schools
  • participating pupil referral units or special schools
  • academies that have chosen to be monitored by thelocal authority
  • independent schools that have chosen to be monitored by thelocal authority
  • a sample of schools which the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) will identify

Local authoritiesshould not arrange more than one visit to an individual school unless STA raised specific concerns. We recommend that approximately:

  • 10% of visits take place during the week prior to the test period
  • 80% of visits are carried out during the test period
  • 10% of visits take place immediately after the test period

We recommend that eachlocal authoritygives responsibility to one person to act as their monitoring visits co-ordinator. The monitoring visits co-ordinator should:

  • arrange monitoring visits
  • select monitoring visitors
  • brief monitoring visitors on the purpose, scope and procedures involved in conducting monitoring visits
  • provide monitoring visitors with the information they will need for the visits
  • process completed monitoring visit forms

Before any monitoring visits take place, local authorities may choose to contact all schools within their authority to explain the purpose of the visits and make them aware of this guidance. Local authorities may give the names of individuals involved in the visits, but must not identify any specific schools that will be visited in advance.

If schools receive a visit and wish to confirm the identity of any visitors, they should contact thelocal authoritydirectly, or phone the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013 if the visitor is from STA.

Published 20 March 2019
Last updated 25 March 2024 +show all updates
  1. Updated guidance for carrying out monitoring visits in 2024.

  2. Updated guidance for 2023

  3. Updated guidance for the current academic year

  4. First published.

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