More than a third of primary school pupils have failed to meet the expected standard in their reading, writing and maths SATs exams, figures show.
According to the BBC, 39% of 10- to 11-year-olds who sat their national curriculum tests this year did not reach the expected level.
However, congratulations are in order as the 2017 SATs results do show an improvement on last year’s results, when 47% did not meet the expected standard.
Parents were advised to take this year’s results with a “pinch of salt” by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).
The SATs results 2017 showed:
61% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 53% last year.
71% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, compared with 66% last year.
75% of pupils met the expected standard in mathematics, compared with 70% last year.
77% of pupils met the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling, compared with 73% last year.
76% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, compared with 74% last year.
Commenting on the results, school standards minister, Nick Gibb, said, according to the Guardian: “Today’s results show sustained progress in reading, writing and maths and are a testament to the hard work of teachers and pupils across England.
“Thanks to their commitment and our new knowledge-rich curriculum, thousands more children will arrive at secondary school having mastered the fundamentals of reading, writing and maths, giving them the best start in life.”
Speaking ahead of the results, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: “Currently, the methods to hold schools to account aren’t as fair or as reliable as they should be.
“SATs data only gives parents part of the picture when judging a pupil’s success or a school’s effectiveness.
“At the moment, parents and schools know that these results have to be taken with a pinch of salt. This can’t be right. Just looking at data misses the majority of the real work that schools do to help young people achieve their full potential.”