The whole of this year's test results for 11 year olds at a primary school in Surrey have been annulled because of concerns about the way the tests were carried out.

Governors at Merstham Community Primary School near Redhill had invited the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to review the tests "following parental concerns".

QCA inspectors interviewed pupils and staff last week and reviewed the children's Key Stage 2 national curriculum test papers, which were sat in May.

It is understood that their inquiry centred on some pupils being given extra time to complete the tests.

Surrey education officer John Quigley said: "This is cheating and it is serious as it dents the credibility of the test itself."

Meeting for parents

Not every child's papers had been affected but some alterations to papers had been made.

All the test results in English, maths and science are being annulled because the QCA said it could not be sure they were a true reflection of the pupils' abilities.

The governing body is consulting the education authority to agree on what to do next.

A meeting for Year 6 parents is to be held before term ends this Wednesday.

Merstham's head teacher, who is said to be very experienced, was in school during the tests but has been away on sick leave.

The education authority is to appoint a temporary head for the start of the next term.

Pupils due to move on

Surrey's director of education, Paul Gray, said this was the first time such a thing had happened in one of the county's schools and he was very concerned.

"I want to ensure that there will be no adverse consequences for the pupils," he said.

"They all start at various secondary schools throughout the county in September and we will be working with their receiving schools to establish their learning levels and abilities."

The council has not said what results the pupils had apparently achieved.

Mertham's combined SATs score has gone from 228 out of a possible 300 in 1998 to 292 last year - putting it ninth in the league table of Surrey's 200 primary schools, and well above the England average of 231.

Other cases

Last month a head teacher in Newcastle-upon-Tyne resigned after admitting having altered pupils' answers on their national test papers, which were well below the national average.

The mental arithmetic results at Peel Brow Primary school at Ramsbottom in Bury have been declared void and the head teacher, Mike Duce, is suspended. Inquiries have been delayed for medical reasons.

The head of Boothstown Methodist primary school in Salford, Jane Otway, has been reinstated after an investigation there. All the test results stand.

Her deputy, Julie Dove, was also suspended. She is sick and the local authority does not expect to be able to complete its investigation for a few months.