Examine the Examiner – Part 2

Dr. Ken Boston

Followers of the Celtic Sage will not be surprised that as he predicted last July, Ken Boston, head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, has stepped down ahead of a report into this summer's test chaos. The only question is; why did it take so long for him to go when no doubt he is using his free business class flights to Australia, has no doubt lined up another lucrative position over the past 5 months and, heavens forbid, has negotiated a payoff for failure from the British Taxpayer who he has amply mugged already.

For, as I noted last July, Dr. Ken Boston was on an extraordinary package. He had the use of a £1 million Chelsea flat as part of his pay and perks package and was on a £328,000-a year deal as it emerged that half a million children could be forced to re-sit key tests.

Dr Boston is paid more than the Governor of the Bank of England in salary, which jumped 15 per cent from last year, and perks which include the flat and six business-class flights a year back to his home country of Australia. The flights, which typically cost between £3,700 and £7,700, can be claimed by either Dr Boston, his wife Yvonne or daughter Nathalie.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/07/examine-examiner.html

Today (13/12/2008) the head of the exams watchdog in England has resigned over the SATS test fiasco. Dr Ken Boston, head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, has stepped down ahead of what is expected to be a highly critical report into this summer's test chaos. Hundreds of thousands of pupils had delayed test results - and this year's league tables have been postponed. Dr Boston said his resignation follows the "delivery failure" for this year's tests. "I have always believed in public bodies and public officials taking responsibility when things go wrong," said Dr Boston, who has held the post since 2002.

On Tuesday, Lord Sutherland is due to publish the findings of his inquiry into what caused the delays and confusion with the tests taken by 11 and 14 year olds. The exam chief is the latest casualty of the administrative failures that affected primary and secondary school tests. ETS Europe, the private outsourcing company hired to administer the tests has seen its contract terminated. Half of the tests themselves are being scrapped - with the Children's Secretary Ed Balls having announced in October that there will be no more compulsory SATS tests for 14 year olds. If Lord Sutherland produces a damning report into what the government calls "severe problems" with the tests, then it could raise the prospect of further heads rolling.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and its testing arm, the National Assessment Agency, were responsible for hiring the US-owned contractor. Head teachers, teachers and markers had been warning of problems with the organisation of this year's test from the spring.

In May, MPs in the House of Commons had said the tests had become a "shambles" - long before the scheduled results date in July. Following the missed deadlines, Dr Boston appeared before a committee of MPs in July and assured them that all the tests taken by 11 year olds had been marked. However a photograph sent soon after to the BBC News website showed boxes of unmarked test papers still lying uncollected in a Lancashire primary school - prompting accusations from opposition parties that the test authorities had lost control.


Six of the many boxes of unmarked SATS exams after Ken Boston assured MPs tha "100% of tests have been marked"

Australian-born Dr Boston had faced intense pressure in the wake of the test problems. But his decision to quit ahead of the inquiry report has been regretted by teachers' leaders.

The Education Minister has shown himself as unrelenting in following the discreditable “Sun” Newspaper in hounding out the Head of Haringey Social Services (Who his own QA agency OFSTED gave top marks to only a year ago) without notice or compensation and replacing her with somebody on twice the salary. But why has he let Ken Boston continue on his lucrative package and leave at a time of his own choosing despite the damming evidence of failure and the body blow occasioned to the English education system? Is he only a “Hard Man” when running after Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids and their Lynch Law campaigns? When we have the details of Ken Boston’s leaving package we will also have the answer to whether this Balls really has Cojhones!