[Maths-Education] Her Majesties Voice

[MugwumpM1 at aol.com]

Colleagues in the UK will be used to the National Curriculum Key Stage 3  
Sats.
The KS3 Maths has the curious 'aural'.
Several weeks ago, when feeling particularly perverse, I thought I would  ask 
the powers that be why it is that we have only ever heard a female voice  
reading out the questions. These good people go to extraordinary lengths to have  
bias free questions - ethnicity, age, ..
Yet the taped aurals keep arriving with a female voice. So I asked why this  
was the case and here is the reply. Am I mistaken to believe that this is a  
completely useless answer?
The chaps email is _Andrew.Bayley at naa.org.uk_ 
(mailto:Andrew.Bayley at naa.org.uk) 
{I am Graham Curson}
 
Dear Mr  Gurson, 
Thank you for your  recent enquiry concerning the choice of voice for the KS3 
mental maths  test. 
Our primary  consideration when developing the KS3 mental maths test is 
effective delivery,  ensuring that the questions are presented in a way that is 
accessible to pupils  sitting the tests. 
 
Further to that,  continuity is helpful for pupils and teachers, as they will 
have used practice  papers and a degree of familiarity is generally 
considered welcome.  
The issue of the gender  of the announcer has not been raised before by 
schools so we have taken it that  schools are satisfied with the current 
arrangements.   
Should we be in  position where we needed to review our existing arrangements 
for mental test  delivery we would consider the gender of the announcer, 
however, our overriding  concern would be effective delivery of the mental test to 
a national cohort of  over 650,000 pupils.  
I hope this answers  your question, but if you have any further question, do 
please let me  know.  
Yours  sincerely,  
Andrew  Bayley 
Project  Coordinator 
KS3 maths  
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