Strong results for pupils at Key Stage One

Release Date: 29-Aug-2008

Bristol schools' results for Key Stage One Standard Assessment Tests, the national tests for all seven year olds, show significant improvements in reading and writing, according to figures published by the government today.

According to the latest figures, in Bristol:

81% of children achieved level 2 or above for reading
77% of children achieved level 2 or above for writing
87% of children achieved level 2 or above for maths
87% of children achieved level 2 or above for science

At Level 2 (the minimum level expected at age seven) results in reading have risen by 1.7 percentage points and in writing by 2 percentage points.

At Level 2B+ in reading and writing (which indicates a good level and means the child is securely in line for Level 4 at Key Stage 2) Bristol has gone up by 2.6 and 2.2 percentage points respectively.

Results for maths at Level 2 or above dropped by almost 1% compared to last year, however at Level 2B+ results have gone up by 2 percentage points. Results for science have remained the same.

Nick Batchelar, Programme Director - Standards and Achievement, said: “These results for reading and writing show significant improvement in our performance compared to other local authorities. They are the result of a strong focus on improving teaching and learning in these subjects in the early years of primary education. We are introducing similar intensive programmes for maths this year.”

Over the last year, programmes to improve results for reading and writing have included training for all Bristol schools, plus specialist intervention training such as the Every Child a Reader programme, which is in 40 schools. This targeted support is for children in Year 1 who are finding reading and writing difficult, to catch them up with their peers.

In the new school year, further training will be offered to all primary schools on teaching both English and maths. The Every Child a Reader programme will continue and a new programme offering similar support for maths in Year 2, called Every Child Counts, is also being introduced.

Councillor Peter Hammond, Deputy Leader of Bristol City Council and Cabinet Member for Cohesion and Raising Achievement, said: “These results are good news for children in our city and show our work to ensure all children get a good start in reading, writing and maths is paying off. Equipping children with these crucial skills during their first years at primary school is a vital building block for their later education. Continuing improvement at this level is the first step towards success at GCSE and beyond.”

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