Headteachers have reported a “far larger than usual number of errors” in results data they are required to check before the Department for Education releases it publicly.
Schools currently have until 30 October to check their key stage 4 and key stage 5 data.
The deadline was moved back from 25 October, after many heads faced technical difficulties in downloading their results spreadsheet.
However, the Association of School and College Leaders has told Tes the deadline should be extended further.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the union, said: “Not only has the checking exercise been beset with technical difficulties, but there appears to be a far larger than usual number of errors with the data.
“These problems have caused a huge amount of anxiety and additional workload for school and college leaders.”
‘Sensible’ to extend deadline
Given the proximity to half term, with some schools having already broken up and others off next week, it would be “sensible” to further extend the deadline, and “for the release of provisional performance data to be delayed accordingly”, he added.
The concern comes as the DfE said on Friday it is aware of “issues with missing Pearson BTECs” as well as with results issued by the NCFE qualifications body for level 1 and level 2 V Cert grades.
One member of the senior leadership team at a school in the East Midlands told Tes he found 49 errors in the school’s data. Of these, 45 errors related to NCFE grades.
“In a typical year, I’d be surprised to see more than one or two errors,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The scale of the error is unprecedented and completely unacceptable.”
This is the first year the DfE has taken over the management of performance data - it has previously been carried out by external contractors.
The KS4 performance data is listed for publication this Thursday at 9.30am, while 16-18 data is scheduled to be published in November on an unspecified date.
Tes has asked the DfE whether the KS4 data will still be published on Thursday.
The SLT member, who did not want to be named, told Tes the school had already spent several hours going through the data, and said it was unacceptable to expect schools to spend more time doing this during half term because of mistakes.
“We are concerned some schools will not have had the chance to get to their checking yet, or others may not have noticed all the errors,” he added.
The autumn checking exercise allows schools to check their results before they are published under national provisional performance data.
‘Technical error’
An NCFE spokesperson said a “technical error during the data supply between NCFE and the DfE” meant that the DfE portal had shown “assessment level outcomes rather than qualification level outcomes”.
However, all level 1 and 2 V Certs results issued by NCFE were “accurate and valid” and “the relevant qualification level data is now with the DfE”.
The spokesperson added: “We appreciate this may have caused some anxiety and additional work for staff in schools and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Schools will be notified when the correct data is visible in the DfE portal and are invited to contact NCFE for further support.
A spokesperson for Pearson said: “We regret that a technical error in the results file shared with the DfE meant that some BTEC results had not been included. We are working quickly to resolve the issue with the DfE and are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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