Wiltshire’s primary pupils achieve good grades

There is good news this week about the achievements of Wiltshire’s primary school pupils. More of them than ever are exceeding expected levels for reading, writing and maths

The new Department for Education performance tables show 76 percent of Wiltshire primary school children reached the expected level 4 in reading, writing and maths. This is three percent up from Wiltshire’s 2012 figures and one percent above this year’s national figure of 75 percent.

All 11-year-olds sit Standard Assessment Tests (SATS) and teachers assess which level pupils have attained in the summer of their final year at primary school.

In Wiltshire, more pupils continue to achieve above the expected level 4 with nearly half of all Wiltshire pupils (49 per cent) attaining level 5 in reading – four per cent higher than the national figure of 45 percent. A third of pupils (33 per cent) achieve level 5 in writing and 40 percent of pupils achieve level 5 in maths.

The tables also reveal that the vast majority of Wiltshire primary aged pupils are making their expected progress between SATS tests taken at age seven and 11.  

Wiltshire pupils have bucked national trends in reading, with 90 percent of Wiltshire pupils making expected progress compared to 88 percent nationally.  Writing progress is at 93 percent compared with 91 percent nationally and maths at eight per cent which is in line with the national figures.

Carolyn Godfrey, corporate director for children’s services, responds to these results: “We are pleased with the improvement in overall results for reading, writing and maths achieved in these key tests for our primary aged children and we continue to work with all of our maintained schools to enable them to achieve excellence.”

That reference to Wiltshire’s ‘maintained schools’ raises important developments in primary education.  More and more Wiltshire primary schools are becoming academies – like Burbage and Easton Royal and primary schools in Corsham, Devizes and Great Cheverell. This means they cut their ties with Wiltshire Council and sometime soon the Council will no longer be able to claim ownership of primary school results right across the county.
 

2013 RESULTS:

Wiltshire results for 2013 KS2 at Level 4 and above
Reading 87%
Writing 84%
Maths 84%
Achieving level 4 in reading, writing and maths – 76%

Wiltshire results for 2013 KS2 at Level 5+
Reading 49%
Writing 33%
Maths 40%

Wiltshire results 2013 – KS2 percentage making expected progress
Reading 90%
Writing 93%
Maths 88%

2012 RESULTS:

Wiltshire results for 2012 KS2 at Level 4+
Reading 87%
Writing 84%
Maths 82%
Reading, writing and maths at level 4 and above 73%

Wiltshire results for 2012 KS2 at Level 5+
Reading 51%
Writing 33%
Maths 40%

Wiltshire results 2012 – KS2 percentage making expected progress
Reading 90%
Writing 91%
Maths 85%