Yorkshire primary schools 'biggest improvers'

The region has seen England's biggest increase in pupils who achieve the expected improvements between the ages of seven and 11 in English, according to test scores over the past four years, published yesterday.

Three per cent more children made "two levels of progress" in English in Yorkshire schools last year than in 2006. The nine per cent rise in the number of pupils making the grade in maths from 2006 to 2009 at Yorkshire primary schools was the joint highest in the country along with schools in the West Midlands and London.

However the figures still show that almost one in five primary school pupils, both in Yorkshire and nationally, are not making the expected level of progress in the two core subjects.

Leeds and Bradford yesterday were among the top 10 education authorities in the country for improved maths results in the past 12 months.

The statistics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) show the level of pupils in each of England's 150 education authorities who have improved by "two levels" in English and maths from the ages of seven to 11.

From 2006 to 2009 the number of Bradford pupils making the expected progress in maths rose from 66 per cent to 81 per cent. From 2008 to last year it rose by six per cent – one of the biggest improvements in the country.

Leeds schools also saw a six per cent increase in the number of

pupils making the expected progress in maths from 77 per cent two years ago to 83 per cent last year.

A DCSF spokesman said: "It's great to see that children in Leeds and Bradford are making such progress in maths, with both authorities making it into the top 10 for pupil progress in this important subject. This is a credit to the hard work of teachers, heads and pupils."

Nationally, Government statistics show that 19 per cent of pupils did not make two levels of progress in maths between the ages of seven and 11 in 2009, and 18 per cent of pupils failed to make this progress in English.

Schools Minister and Hull MP Diana Johnson said the results showed that investment and a focus on the three Rs was paying off, adding she was particularly pleased with progress in maths.

But new GCSE figures yesterday showed white British schoolboys from working-class families were falling behind their classmates at a greater rate than previously thought.

Less than a fifth of those eligible for free school meals – an indicator of poverty – achieved at least five grade Cs at GCSE, including English and maths.

In comparison, more than half of white British boys not entitled to the meals attained the marks, including the two core subjects – a gap of 31.8 per cent compared with 29.8 per cent in 2006.