Schools spend more on tests than on books

SCHOOLS are spending two-and-a-half times as much on exam fees as they are on books, according to new figures.

Private firms also benefited, as spending on insurance and computer software soared since 2003, the Times Educational Supplement reported.

Teachers' leaders expressed alarm at the figures, which they said reflected England's "bloated" testing system. Using Government statistics, the TES analysed how state schools spend £27bn of their budgets every year.

Secondary schools spent £197m on exam fees in 2004-05, more than 25 per cent more than they did two years earlier.

In the same period, spending by primary and secondary schools on insurance also rose by a quarter to £293m. A survey by the Educational Publishers Council found that primary schools in England spent just £70m on books while secondaries spent £80m.