Teachers' leaders have branded Government plans to "publish" secondary school SATs results today - despite all papers not being marked - as "barmy".

The provisional Key Stage 3 data is only based on information which was available by July 25.

The data doesn't contain any local information, so neither the local education authority nor schools know how their pupils have fared. The Government now says that information won't be available until October.

Many Lancashire schools are still waiting for English papers to be returned and most schools decided to wait until September to hand out results, in maths, science and English, because all the papers weren't returned.

Tony Roberts, spokesman for the Lancashire branch of the National Association of Headteachers, said: "Publishing results at this time is barmy. Statistically they say that they can do that, if they have a rough correlation of how things have gone. But that's all it is.

"I think it is part of the bigger agenda on the Government's part to sidestep any responsibility (for the marking fiasco]."

Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for schools Coun Vali Patel said: "The news that Key Stage 3 results will not be available for local authorities does not exactly come as a surprise, after the marking fiasco.

"It is very unfortunate but we have no control over the situation.

"We will keep checking with the DCSF to obtain Lancashire's scores as soon as they are fully available, but in the meantime pupils and teachers will have to continue as normal without the benefit of their test results."

A spokesman for the NAHT nationally added: "We will not stand by and see members subjected to the rigours of an inspection next year that may well be predicated upon these dubious results. The quality of the marking process is highly suspect, and unfairly casts doubts on the professionalism and the integrity of school leaders, their staff, and the laudable efforts of the pupils in their care."

The Liberal Democrats have described the decision to publish the results as: "A complete dog's breakfast."

A spokesman said: "It inspires no confidence at all in the quality of the results.

"If the results are not now accurate enough to publish at a local authority level, they should have been held back at a national level too."