THOUSANDS of school children across Hampshire are still waiting for results from their SATS (Standard Assessment Tests) exams - weeks later than expected.
Missing scripts, scores added up incorrectly and a lack of proper marking has left teachers and pupils fuming.
Thousands of 11-year-olds sat the exams in maths, English and science earlier this year and were due to receive their results on July 8.
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But problems with the new marking contractor, ETS Europe, such as computer failures and a shortage of markers, has led to lengthy delays.
It could mean some secondary schools have another round of tests for Year 7 students before streaming them in certain subjects in September.
Sue Bailey, head teacher at Beechwood Junior School in Southampton said: "It started as a farce and it's been a nightmare ever since.
"Back in September I could not log on to register the pupils, the wrong envelopes were sent out for the completed scripts and I had to go out and buy jiffy bags for the braille papers because the ones that were delivered were all damaged.
"The whole thing has been a cock-up and a fiasco with spurious results. It's been awful for the children."
Her school papers were only marked two weeks ago - despite pupils sitting the exams weeks earlier.
Now teachers have had to spend the last two days going through the scripts and giving pupils their results, but also saying they may be incorrect. In her school alone 17 braille scripts, two reading papers and a maths paper are missing.
Paul Nugent, Southampton City Council's acting head of school standards said "a significant number" of schools had been affected by the fiasco.
Across Hampshire schools have experienced delays and missing examination scripts too. A spokesman said there had been "a significant rise" in the number of schools considering appeals.
Councillor David Kirk, Hampshire's Cabinet member for education said: "We are urgently collating as much evidence as we can get from the head teachers and will make strong representations to try and reduce the probability of this happening next year."
The Daily Echo understands the majority of schools are affected although exact figures are not available about exactly how many results are still being collated.
Similar problems have been encountered with the marking of the key stage three results for 14-year-olds.
Richard Schofield, Redbridge Community School's head teacher and chairman of the Southampton secondary heads forum said: "This latest fiasco heaps further discredit on a testing system that lost all credibility years ago."
A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said it was "deeply unhappy" about the marking of the key stage two results but government officials have refused to apologise.
Instead they have launched a full inquiry into what went wrong.
An ETS Europe spokesman said it regretted the "inconvenience" caused by the marking problems.
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