Britain's exams watchdog chief quits

The head of Britain's schools testing watchdog resigned late on Saturday ahead of what is expected to be a highly critical report over marking delays that affected more than a million schoolchildren this summer.

Ken Boston, head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said he took full responsibility for the affair.

"I have reflected since the summer on the delivery failure and on the difficulties associated with key stage testing," Mr Boston said in a statement.

"In my 40-year career as a public servant in England and Australia I have always believed in public bodies and public officials taking responsibility when things go wrong."

An independent inquiry into the matter is due to be published tomorrow.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and its testing arm, the National Assessment Agency, were responsible for the overall delivery of this year's tests and appointed private contractor ETS Europe to carry out the process.

Administrative problems meant the private contractor failed to get the papers - taken by children aged seven, 11 and 14 - in English, Maths and Science marked in time. Thousands of scripts went missing or got sent to the wrong place.