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Primary children doing better than ever

More children than ever will leave primary school with expected levels of achievement in mathematics and English after schools scored their best ever SATs results.

The Primary School Achievement and Attainment Tables published on Friday 2 December confirmed primary school performance has risen again in 2005. Results in English and mathematics at Level 4 or higher improved by one percentage point compared to last year: English to 79% and maths to 75%, the highest levels ever.

Science also remains at a high level with the number achieving the expected level constant at 86%.

In real terms this means that around 84,000 more children in English and 96,000 in maths will leave primary school having reached the expected level compared with 1998 when the National Literacy Strategy was first introduced.

“The results today show that we are continuing to raise standards in our primary schools,” Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said. “The Primary National Strategy, which includes the successful literacy hour and daily mathematics lessons, has transformed the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools and will continue to help schools to build on their successes and improve further.

“This is what our recent White Paper is all about; we are absolutely committed to raising attainment and helping those who are falling behind, so that every school is a good school.”

He said he is particularly pleased to see that some of the local authorities facing particularly challenging circumstances are making excellent progress. These included schools in Manchester, Newcastle, and Bristol, which have sustained excellent progress at Key Stage 2 since 2002.

Mr Adonis acknowledged the hard work and dedication of primary school teachers nationwide and congratulated staff and pupils at Manor Junior and Infant School in Wolverhampton for achieving the best Value Added in England, and Eastborough Junior Infant and Nursery School in Kirklees for making the most sustained improvement since 2002.

However, it still means that 1 in 5 11 year olds will go on to secondary school failing to meet the expected level.

Mick Brookes, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said we need to think about the schools working with these children and the usefulness of the league tables in this context.

“NAHT congratulates schools who have made it into the top 200 of schools achieving 100% pass rates at Level 4 in English, Maths and Science,” he said in a statement issued by the Association. “We also congratulate the school that achieved a 100% pass rate at Level 5, but wholeheartedly support the head teacher of that school in her call for the abolition of League Tables.”

He added: “Whilst it is great to be in the top 200, serious reflection is needed to understand how it feels yet again to be at the bottom of League Tables. This does nothing to improve the confidence of schools working flat out to achieve results in extremely challenged circumstances. There is now a generation of young people who, because of League Tables, have been labelled as failures at the end of Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, so it is no wonder that at the end of Key Stage 4 they vote with their feet.

“The Government must see that the continuation of this strategy seriously puts at risk their desire to crack under-achievement in our most challenged schools.”