Action plan after lost exam papers

The English papers of 243 children at Hummersknott School, in Darlington, were mistaken for rubbish and placed in a skip following year nine Sats tests last month.

The blunder prompted an immediate investigation by the school's governing body and a committee has made six recommendations. They are:

l Completed examination papers should be taken to the "safe room" by at least two people and a book, kept in the room, signed by a minimum of two signatories with the date and time recorded. A separate column will be for a signature, date and time when the parcels are collected or taken to the post office.

l A clearly designated area should be identified within the safe room where the papers are to be left. A similar procedure should be adopted for other exam papers.

l The lock on the safe room door should be repaired.

l The key to the safe room must be kept in a locked cupboard and the key signed in and out at all times.

l Recycling paper or rubbish should no longer be placed in the safe room.

l If anything is found outside the safe room, it should be taken immediately to a senior member of staff or the school office.

Chairman of governors Professor S David Jackson and headteacher David Henderson issued a joint statement on the measures.

They said: "A simple mistake precipitated a series of events that led to the papers being thrown out.

"Any of us can make a simple mistake and we look to having procedures that catch these errors before they become major issues - in this case the procedures did not catch the mistake."

The statement adds: "The governing body has agreed that these recommendations will be fully implemented by the school immediately and that to maximise the learning from this incident the school will review all of its critical procedures. We would like to thank the pupils and the parents for their understanding over this issue."

Parents and pupils have already been notified of the recommendations