Published Date:
30 November 2009
ROTHERHAM is set to remain the region's lowest-ranked authority in new league tables which are expected to show progress is stalling in Yorkshire's primary schools.
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The Government tables measuring 11-year-olds' performance in English, maths and science curriculum tests will be published this morning amid continued debate about their future.
The results will show five Yorkshire authorities are among the worst 25 in the country and school results have dipped in most of the region's councils.
Rotherham is to be ranked 13th worst in the country as a quarter of pupils did not reach the standard required of the age group – level four – in maths while 24 per cent fell short in English.
It is followed by Wakefield, Sheffield, Bradford and Barnsley which all saw at least 24 per cent of pupils failing to achieve level four scores in English and maths.
Tables will also show Calderdale is Yorkshire's strongest performing area with 83 per cent of pupils making the grade in English and maths and 89 per cent achieving level four in science. It is expected to be followed by the East Riding and North Yorkshire.
But all three will see their overall average test scores decline compared with the previous year. Of the 13 education authorities in the region only two are expected to see scores improve, in Bradford and Hull, while results are believed to have remained the same in Rotherham and Sheffield.
Yorkshire will have more than 20 schools named in the bottom 200 in the country based on each primaries aggregate pass rate at level four in the three key subject areas.
The region also has 10 primary schools which each have less than a third of pupils who get to the expected standard in both English and maths.
The latest results are the second set of primary school league tables to published this year.
In April, the 2008 Key Stage Two standard assessment tests (SATs) tables were finally published following a marking fiasco which affected papers sat by both 11- and 14-year-olds.
More than a million schoolchildren saw their results delayed last July after contractor ETS Europe suffered administrative problems. ETS's contract was severed, and Edexcel took over.
Key Stage Three tests sat by 14-year-olds have since been abandoned by the Government and today's results will see SATs at Key Stage Two coming under renewed pressure.
Both the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Head Teachers have threatened to boycott next year's tests for 11-year-olds.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, said: "I have no doubt that the results will once again show the steady and sustained year-on-year improvement schools consistently produce.
"However, the tables will no doubt once again provoke the mind numbing debate on SATs which will serve only to undermine the hard work and achievement of pupils and teachers.
"The sooner performance league tables are abolished and a sensible system of reporting all the achievements of schools is introduced the better."
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Last Updated:
02 December 2009 12:58 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Yorkshire
