WIREDGOV

Schools Minister Diana Johnson today welcomed the provisional Key Stage 2 test results for 11 year olds. The figures show that the number of primary school pupils reaching level 5 in maths has increased by 4 percentage points, meaning that 23,000 more are reaching this higher level than in 2008.

The number achieving the expected level 4 or higher in English remains high, although has dropped slightly by 1 percentage point to 80 per cent from last year’s record results. This represents a 17 percentage point increase since 1997.

Both maths and science at level 4 or higher remain at last year’s highest ever levels, at 79 per cent and 88 per cent respectively.

Publishing the provisional 2009 Key Stage 2 results, Schools Minister Diana Johnson said:

“I congratulate pupils, teachers and their schools for all their hard work. We are really pleased to see such a tremendous performance in maths, with an increase in the proportion achieving the level 5, which means that 98,000 more pupils are now gaining this level than in 1997.

“Primary schools have made very substantial progress in raising standards over the past twelve years, after years of just coasting along - but as the number of young people achieving level 4 has increased, it is getting tougher to get the final 20 per cent to the expected level and we need to do more to sustain progress. While the results for English have dipped slightly from last year’s record levels we still have 98,000 more 11 year olds achieving English test results at level 4 and above than in 1997. Whilst this represents great overall progress, we should not be complacent about the small drop in English results compared to last year. Parents, headteachers and governing bodies will be rightly concerned that we have not seen an improvement this year compared to last year and we are too.

“This year's results demonstrate loud and clear that we are going to have to ask some hard questions and re-double our efforts if we are to make further progress in National Curriculum tests next year and in future years. It is therefore encouraging to see improvements in areas already using schemes such as the Improving School Programme, where they can track pupils’ progress and make sure they get what they need to succeed.

“The Children’s Plan set an ambitious goal that by 2020 at least 90 per cent of 11 year olds achieve the expected level or higher in both English and maths. In our recent White Paper we set out how we will achieve this through early intervention and providing one to one tuition for those pupils who are falling behind in English and maths at Key Stage 2, from this September. We will be giving more discretion for good headteachers to tailor literacy and numeracy hours to the needs of their pupils and make sure there is strong accountability through the National Curriculum tests and the new school report card.

“Through the Every Child a Reader and the Every Child a Writer programmes we are helping those pupils who are struggling in reading and writing, especially boys, which will help us narrow the achievement gap between boys and girls.

"Our Expert Group on testing, which reported in May, said clearly that the current English and maths tests are educationally beneficial, vital for public accountability and a key part of giving parents the information they need on their children's level of attainment and progress after seven years of publically funded education.”

The provisional Key Stage 2 results for 2009 published today also show that:

• 72 per cent of pupils achieved a level 4 or above in both English and maths, up from 53 per cent in 1997, but a decrease of 1 percentage point compared to 2008;
 
• there has been a 1 percentage point reduction in the gap between boys and girls in science, while the gap between boys and girls in maths remains the same, and increases by 1 percentage point in English;
 
• compared to 1997, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected level 4 or above in English has increased by 17 percentage points to 80 per cent. In maths, the increase has been also 17 percentage points to 79 per cent. There has been an increase of 19 per cent in science to 88 per cent.

As part of the continued drive to increase standards in primary schools, the Government has recently launched several new programmes. These include:

• One-to-one tuition in English and mathematics for those pupils who are falling behind in English and maths. This is being piloted in over 450 schools as part of the Making Good Progress pilot and from this year is being rolled out nationally across all local authorities. From 2010-11 it will be available to 300,000 pupils a year in each of English and mathematics and will be an entitlement to every pupil who entered Key Stage 2 behind the expected level and who is not on track to make 2 levels of progress.
 
• Every Child Counts, which helps those Year 2 primary pupils (aged 6-7) who have fallen behind their peers in maths, where teachers with specialist training work on a one-to-one basis with those children. This is currently in development phase, and is intended to help up to 30,000 Year 2 children annually from the academic year 2010/11 onwards.
 
• Every Child a Reader, which supports those children who are struggling to learn to read, ranging from one-to-one to small group work. By 2010/11 30,000 children a year with severe literacy difficulties will benefit from Every Child a Reader.
 
• Every Child a Writer, which is a new programme aimed at years 3 (aged 7-8) and 4 (aged 8-9). It focuses on the areas of writing children find hardest to master. It is being piloted in nine local authorities, and the programme will expand in 2009 to support over 60 local authorities, before being supported all local authorities by 2010/11.

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'

1. The Statistical First Release showing the Key Stage 2 provisional results are available at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/

2. The results for 2009, when compared with those of earlier years, are affected by the removal of the borderlining procedure in the marking process. Advance notice of this effect was given on the Department’s statistical website, the Research and Statistics Gateway, in 2008. Readers’ attention is drawn to guidance within the SFR on the extent of this effect and that of reduced absence levels on comparisons of this year’s results with results since 1995.

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk