Next Gen News

Were Sats markers watching telly at the same time?

School leaders are angry about the standard of marking Sats this year, Janet Murray (@ jan_murray) reported spending this week are busy \ compilation appeals in the period from Friday's deadline.

A quick survey of principals found 720 problems of 954 respondents in this year. Heads - the concern about how their position in rankings will be affected by erratic test results - seem to complain of wildly inaccurate classification reviewers to read only the first paragraph and characters who do not even have to have been recorded correctly. One says:

"It 's as if the person marking was watching TV at the same time."

If you 're a year 6 teacher or boss who is affected and want a quick and easy blog to write about, please e-mail judy.friedberg @ guardian.co.uk or tweet @ judyfriedberg.

Education News from the Guardian

• The Improbable Researchers are up to a bit of monkey business this week, looking at post-coital penis-cleaning by chimpanzees. It has no health benefits, apparently, so why do they bother? Well, availing oneself of a leaf napkin to refresh oneself is apparently considered the height of social etiquette in better parts of the jungle.

"Fine, fine, fine! Yer welcum much, but please promise not to bore us into a state of cataleptic rigidity with questions about kilts, haggis and deep-fried Mars bars."

• Higher education staff have been a \ given "final offer" a ? 150 wage increase for the next academic year, provoking a furious reaction of the unions, the reports. The Universities and Colleges Employers Association of the offer - for the third year of below inflation - at a meeting with the unions yesterday.

Best of the blogs

• I like the very defense of the use of phonics as the primary method for teaching reading to John Bald 's Language and Literacy blog:

"Phonics is the most reliable indicator of the information conveyed by letters in the English language, even if it does not work all the time. His rightful place is therefore considered the most important element of teaching, with the other key factor, knowledge and understanding for irregular patterns, taught wrong. "

(Thanks @ oldandrewuk for the link.)

• Former TV presenter Annabel Giles explains in her blog why she's selling her house to pay for a specialist school for her autistic son. There's been such a huge response already, she's written a follow-up, explaining that she's not asking for anyone's money and suggesting wellwishers support charities that help families of children with special needs. More on her twitter page too, @Annabel_Giles.

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