40% of children fail 3Rs
LABOUR’S drive to lift classroom standards was under fire last night after results showed four out of 10 pupils leave primary school unable to read, write or do basic sums.
Fewer than two thirds of 11-year-olds reached required levels in the “three Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic – in national curriculum tests last May.
Ministers argued yesterday that the test results were the “best ever” , while admitting: “We have to go
further.”
But opposition MPs seized on the figures as evidence that Labour’s schools policies are failing, despite Gordon Brown’s claim that education is his “passion”.
Results in reading were no better than two years ago, while writing standards had not improved on last year’s level. Overall, only 60 per cent of the 585,000 11-year-olds who took the tests in primary schools across England this year reached Level Four in all three Rs.
It means that more than 230,000 children fell short of the national standard expected of their age group. Girls achieved better results in English, with four in 10 boys failing to meet the expected level for writing.
In all subjects, results improved by just one per cent. A total of 80 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in English, 77 per cent in maths and 88 per cent in science.
Schools Minister Lord Adonis said: “These are record results, but we won’t be satisfied until we get all children up to standard.”
The results dismayed business leaders, who say that poor standards in primaries lead to inadequate maths and communication skills for school leavers.
Institute of Directors head of education chief Mike Harris said: “The overall rate of improvement remains far too slow.
“The pace of change needs to quicken substantially if we are to generate the flow of skills into the workforce we need.”
Shadow Education Minister Nick Gibb said yesterday: “Gordon Brown says that improving education is his passion.
“But after 10 years of his being in Government, two out of five 11-year-olds are still leaving primary school without mastering the basics.”
Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The results conceal the downside of tests, targets and tables.”
