Primary school leaders face being held in a queue and given wait times to access their key stage 2 SATs results next month, like 鈥渕usic fans struggling to get hold of sought-after concert tickets鈥. Schools have been told this week that demand to access the Primary Assessment Gateway website will be 鈥渉igh鈥 again this year. Leaders had been left frustrated in recent years after the website to access results crashed. But under a new system, primary leaders 鈥渕ay be held in a queue for a short time when signing in鈥 on July 9. They will get 鈥渞eal-time updates and estimates of [the] wait time until you have full access to the PAG鈥, a bulletin from the Standards and Testing Agency added. The STA said it hoped the change would 鈥渋mprove your experience鈥, and it will evaluate the approach afterwards. ‘Like music fans struggling for tickets’ But Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at NAHT school leaders鈥 union, said 鈥渨e have little confidence this proposed queueing system will help鈥. 鈥淚nstead of addressing the issues with system capacity so school leaders can easily access results at the time of their choosing, it appears to expect them to endure the same kind of frustrations faced by music fans struggling to get hold of sought-after concert tickets. 鈥淭hey have enough on their plate without being kept waiting in long online queues.鈥 In 2022, the first year outsourcing giant Capita ran the process under a 拢107 million contract, the website crashed on results day. It was one of a series of failings the company was rapped for. Despite 鈥渞obust鈥 tests, some leaders were met with error messages when trying to log on last year too. A Teacher Tapp survey of 950 teachers found 54 per cent were unable to log in to access SATs results. But 41 per cent said they had no issues. The Department for Education said last year the 鈥渧ast majority鈥 of schools were able to log in and get results by 10.30am. Results are released at 7.30am. But after feedback, they wanted to make 鈥渢he process better still this year鈥. Change ‘should reduce demand’ After exploring 鈥渄ifferent options鈥, this approach 鈥渟hould reduce demand鈥 on the website 鈥渁nd in turn mean fewer delays鈥. A Capita spokesperson said the new queuing system aims to 鈥渕ake the return of results simpler and easier, and we will welcome feedback on this process鈥. 鈥淲e know people will be eager to get their results. To help manage demand, we ask that schools don鈥檛 download multiple times during the peak of the first few hours on return of results day.鈥 But Hannafin said the union had raised concerns about the queue proposals and are 鈥渆xtremely disappointed鈥 the feedback has 鈥渘ot been heeded鈥. 鈥淭he government has made the stakes so high for schools when it comes to these tests, so the least schools should expect is that the process for accessing results should be simple and stress-free.鈥 A had found Capita鈥檚 first year overseeing the tests, in 2022, caused 鈥渟ignificant frustration and inconvenience鈥 to schools. Exams regulator Ofqual had to step in after thousands of tests went missing, wrong marks were awarded and the helpline went into meltdown. The 拢128 million contract to run SATs from September 2025 has since been won by Pearson.