Increase in pupils reaching highest standard in SATs

More pupils in England are reaching the highest standards of reading, writing and maths than last year, data from this year’s key stage 2 assessments (SATs) shows.

Eleven per cent of pupils reached the higher standard in all three subjects, up from 10 per cent last year.

Sixty-five per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined).

What's more, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed by 13% since 2011 based on the Disadvantage Gap Index.

The attainment gap in reading, writing and maths (combined) between pupils whose first language isn’t English and those who speak it as their first language has almost disappeared – going down from 4 percentage points in 2016 to just 1 percentage point.

The statistics also show that typically the longer a primary school has been an academy, the better its results. 71% of pupils in converter academies open for 8 or more years met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths compared to 66% of pupils in those open for one year.

Results in sponsored academies – those that were typically converted due to previous poor performance - have also increased nationally, driven by greater improvements in those that have been open for longer.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "We want all pupils to leave primary school equipped with the knowledge and skills that will help them to be successful in the rest of their education and beyond – that’s why I’m pleased to see an increase in pupils reaching the very highest standards at the end of primary school.

"The fact that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has significantly reduced since 2011 illustrates how the programme of reforms we’ve put in place since 2010 is helping to level the playing field.

"We reformed Key Stage 2 tests in 2016 to make sure they assessed schools’ performance in equipping pupils to understand the new, improved primary curriculum. These results are testament to the hard work of pupils, parents and teachers."

This year’s results are the fourth to be released following the introduction of more rigorous assessments in summer 2016.