A Birmingham headteacher has spoken of her 鈥渄evastation鈥 after her school鈥檚 exam results were torn up following a government cheating probe.
The Department for Education annulled Dorrington Academy鈥檚 summer SATs results in an investigation into maladministration.
The 700-pupil Perry Barr school was scrubbed from the national league table of primary schools, published last week.
Head Loretta Barratt said the ruling robbed Dorrington of a place among the country鈥檚 best-performing primaries.
鈥淚t should have been the best year we ever had 鈥 we were heading for outstanding,鈥 she said.
鈥淲e had the most phenomenal cohort of pupils. We were meant to be celebrating becoming an outstanding school.
鈥淪omeone, for their own reasons, has not allowed that to happen.
鈥淚 am devastated, the staff are devastated. It has been a very difficult time.鈥
Parents were given the news, which affected 11-year-olds sitting test-based assessments, two weeks ago.
Details of the alleged breach of regulations were not revealed.
Miss Barratt said: 鈥淚 have been instructed by the legal department that I cannot say any more.鈥
She added: 鈥淲e have appointed an external invigilator to oversee exam procedure.
鈥淎s a manager of this school, I am going to make sure the integrity of future procedures takes place. To that end, everything will be moderated externally.鈥
Chairman of governors Lorraine Gumbs said: 鈥淥f course it鈥檚 a shock, you don鈥檛 expect your results to be annulled.
鈥淧arents 鈥 and I鈥檓 one of them 鈥 have been fine and been kept informed.
鈥淚鈥檝e had no comeback.鈥
Dorrington is the second Birmingham school to fall foul of the Standards and Testing Agency within months.
It was revealed in October that SATs results for Regents Park Primary, in Small Heath, had been declared void amid 鈥渄oubts over their validity鈥.
Weeks before the announcement, head-teacher Tina Ireland and deputy, Michelle McCusker, had resigned.
A Department for Education spokesman refused to reveal the nature of the investigation at Dorrington.
He said: 鈥淭he number of schools where results have been amended or annulled due to maladministration this year is consistent with previous years and illustrates the majority of schools administer the tests rigorously.
鈥淚nstances of maladministration that lead to the annulment or amendment of children鈥檚 test results are rare, but completely unacceptable.鈥
