Every English primary school ranked by local authority

The Government is expected to order a formal review of the primary school curriculum next week amid growing concern that progress toward national targets in the three Rs has ground to a virtual standstill.

The review, the first big overhaul of primary teaching and learning since 2000, comes as this year’s Key Stage 2 test results show that nearly three in ten 11-year-olds failed to meet expected standards for their age in English, maths and science by the time they left for secondary school this summer.

Although primary test results continued to improve this year, the rate of progress has slowed significantly, with schools now having to work harder for the smallest of gains.

While the numbers achieving level 4, the expected level, in English rose 12 percentage points to 75 per cent between 1997 and 2000, seven years on it has risen to only 80 per cent, an increase of just one percentage point on last year.

The figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families also show that in maths and science the level 4 pass rate rose by one percentage point to 77 and 88 per cent.

Boys performed worse than girls in English as usual, but managed to close the performance gap at level 4 by two percentage points. Results for boys and girls in maths and science are broadly comparable.

But the figures also also show that the gap between the most and least able primary school children has widened in English. At level 5, achieved by the brightest pupils, English results improved by two percentage points this year, with 34 per cent of pupils reaching this higher score.

Dean’s Primary in Swinton, Salford, is the best performing primary school in England, with 100 per cent of children reaching level 5 in English and science and 92 per cent in maths. Set in a deprived area, with nearly twice the national average of pupils taking free school meals, it relies heavily on parental involvement in daily reading assessments with their children.

Lord Adonis, the Schools Minister, said that there would be greater emphasis on phonics to teach reading teaching and mental arithmetic in maths, including learning times tables by eight. He added that the ten-year Children’s Plan, due to be published on Tuesday, would set out the next steps to build a world class education system. There is expected to be a formal review of the primary curriculum by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

The Tories said that reform was urgently needed to give teachers powers to restore order and get back to tried reading methods. Michael Gove, Shadow Children’s Secretary, accused the Government of lowering primary targets. Ministers had previously said that 85 per cent of pupils could reach level 4 in English and in maths. The have revised this to a combined target of 78 per cent for both subjects combined by 2011.

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