Committee publication · Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Letter from Secretary of State for Education on Key stage 2 Assessments dated 02.07.26
From: Education Committee
Summary
Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson informs Parliament that Key Stage 2 National Curriculum test results will be delayed by nine days, from 7 July to 16 July 2026. Pearson Education Limited's online portal systems are not ready. The Secretary emphasizes test quality and marking standards remain sound; the delay is purely technical. Pearson has apologized, and the government will use contractual provisions to hold them accountable and review future delivery arrangements.
Key findings
- Key Stage 2 test results delayed from Tuesday 7 July 2026 to Thursday 16 July 2026 due to Pearson's system readiness issues with the online results portal
- Test marking and quality assurance completed on schedule; standards maintenance process (enabling year-on-year comparison) finished 2 July 2026 as planned
- Delay is attributed solely to Pearson's systems failures, not concerns about test quality or result accuracy
- Pearson Education Limited, awarded the KS2 contract in April 2024, is responsible for all test logistics including marking and results distribution
- Government will invoke contractual provisions to hold Pearson accountable and conduct thorough review of delivery failure; all options for future delivery partnerships will be examined
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Bridget Phillipson, Helen Hayes MP, Pearson Education Limited, Standards and Testing Agency, Laura Trott MP, Munira Wilson MP
Notable line
“The inconvenience this delay will cause to school staff, parents and pupils is unacceptable.”
Key Quotes
“I am disappointed to inform you that the return of results will have to be delayed until Thursday 16 July 2026 as Pearson's systems are not ready to upload results to the online portal for schools and they need additional time to ensure the system is ready for schools to access.”
“I want to be very clear that the delay is due to issues w ith Pearson's systems and not concerns about the quality of the tests or the results.”
“We will use all the provisions in the contract to ensure that Pearson is held to account for their failures in delivery, and will also review all possible options for future delivery …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗