Test Operations Service - Market Engagement Event

The primary purpose of STA is to provide an effective and robust testing, assessment and moderation system to measure and monitor pupils’ progress and attainment between reception and the end of key stage 2 (KS2). STA is responsible for the development and delivery of national curriculum tests and assessments in England, under statutory instruments, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education. We are regulated by Ofqual for our work on National Curriculum Assessments (NCAs). In a typical school year NCAs are published annually at an individual school level in the School Performance Tables and are an important factor in the parental choice of schools. The final test cycle in STA’s existing contract to deliver NCAs will be in 2024-25, therefore a new contract must be in place to begin delivering from the 2025-26 test cycle onwards. It is anticipated that the contract will be awarded in early 2024. Service Requirements: The current assessments in scope for the Test Operations Service are the Phonics Screening Check (PSC), end of KS1 NCAs and teacher assessment, end of KS2 NCAs and teacher assessment in English Writing and Science Other assessments which are not in scope of this service are Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) and Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). The tests are sat by the full cohort of pupils, currently up to 650,000 in 16,500 schools. For successful delivery of the service, we expect that the Supplier will undertake the following activities (not exhaustive): 1. General • Overarching management of test operations • Systems Integration • Security of test materials • Provision of data • Project and Risk management • Collection of KS2 pupil test information • Collection of KS2 Teacher Assessment data • Development and dissemination of guidance, communications and support to schools, markers and other stakeholders throughout the test cycle 2. Print • Manufacture test materials to schools • Manufacture KS2 marker materials to KS2 markers 3. Logistics • Collate and distribute test materials to up to 16,500 schools • Distribute KS2 marker materials to KS2 markers • KS2 post-test logistics (collect test scripts from schools, scan and distribute to markers: test scripts/scanned images returned to schools) • KS2 scanning and matching services 4. Marking and Assessment • KS2 marker recruitment and management • KS2 marker training (develop materials and deliver training) • KS2 on screen marking provision • KS2 script marking management and mark capture • Support KS2 test standard setting • Support maladministration processes 5. Helpdesk • Helpdesk for markers, schools and other stakeholders • Activity peaks between May to July each Test Cycle. The full scope of services to be delivered will be detailed in the Statement of Requirements which will form part of the tender documents. Indicative volumes will be contained within a Data Room available to tenderers subject to the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Proposed commercial model: STA intends to contract with either a Supplier who proposes to offer the whole service (with or without subcontractors) or a consortium of Suppliers who have joined together to offer the whole service. To this end, the Market Engagement Event will also act as a forum for identifying potential consortium partners or potential subcontractors. At the tendering stage a consortium must be either a legal entity or have a lead organisation which is authorised to act on behalf of its members with which STA can contract.