Ken Boston, former exam chief for England, has not minced his words when giving evidence to a committee of MPs on last summer’s Sats’ marking fiasco. The BBC reports:

Dr Boston, former head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, described ministers’ version of what happened as “fiction”. The marking of more than a million test papers taken by 11-year-olds was delayed for months when the company contracted to run the marking – ETS Europe – ran into problems. It later lost the contract. Results of the controversial tests are used to draw up the primary school league tables. Last year’s results were only published earlier this month.

Dr Boston told the Children, Schools and Families Committee he took issue with an account given to the Sutherland inquiry of a meeting in June between the QCA and ministers, which he says was “quite incorrect” and “quite unsound”. …

In an angry response, Dr Boston told MPs on the committee he was willing to accept responsibility for the failures with the test administration – but resented how he had been portrayed. … Asked directly if he thought that ministers were “lying” over placing blame for what went wrong with the tests, Dr Boston said he did not – but that wrong evidence had been given.

The Lib Dems’ Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws, has issued his reponse to Dr Boston’s evidence:

Ken Boston’s evidence to the Select Committee casts serious doubt on the account of the SATs fiasco which has been given by Ed Balls. It is extraordinary that he appears to be accusing the Secretary of State of being untruthful in the House of Commons – an extremely serious charge.

“Ed Balls should now make a statement to the House of Commons to explain the difference between his account of what happened which we have heard from Ken Boston.

“The SATs fiasco was such a shambles that Ken Boston and the head of the national assessment agency did need to step down from their posts. The issue now is whether ministers were also complacent and whether ministerial heads should also be rolling.”