Pupils at an Orpington primary school were ‘left in tears’ when they were told that the SAT tests they had to sit in May would be wiped following an investigation into how they were carried out.

Year 6 students at Leesons Primary School, who were informed at an assembly yesterday that their results were annulled, will now have to move on to their new secondary schools in September without results.

One parent told News Shopper they were crying with their parents and teachers as they came out of line at home time.

The parent said: "My daughter and the rest of her Year 6 class were in tears coming out of school today after being told they are not going to be allowed their SAT results and will go to their new secondary schools with a good reference and all that hard work was for nothing."

A letter, signed by Joanna Brinkley, the CEO and executive headteacher of The Spring Partnership Trust, was sent to parents informing them of the investigation by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA).

It said: "The STA discovered that there were significant shortcomings in the way these tests were carried out and that the process lacked integrity.

"As a result the STA had to annul the 2017 Key Stage 2 SAT results for Leesons which means that they will not be published nor provided to parents, children or the school."

The letter went on to reassure parents: "I should like to reassure you that the effect of the STA's decision will not impact on their transition to secondary school and so they will not be disadvantaged."

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Any instance of maladministration of the National Curriculum tests is completely unacceptable.

“Following an investigation into the administration of 2017 Key Stage 2 tests at Leesons Primary School, all the Key Stage 2 tests, which includes English reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and Mathematics results, were annulled.”

A statement by Leesons Primary School said: “We can confirm that an external investigation into the administration of the Year 6 SATs tests at Leesons Primary School has been carried out by the STA and that, as a result, the STA has had to annul the 2017 Key Stage 2 SAT results for the school.

“An internal investigation is being carried out by The Spring Partnership Trust (the Multi-Academy Trust that Leesons Primary School became a part of in December last year) as a matter of urgency.

“We are not in a position to discuss the investigation at this point.”