Caution as schools’ test results improve

THE performance of Oldham’s 11 year-olds in national English, maths and science tests has improved for the fifth year running.

But more than a quarter of pupils (27.1 per cent) will start secondary school without reaching the required standard for their age (level 4) in English and maths.

Figures show that the proportion of youngsters achieving level four in this year’s English SATS is up slightly from 79.6 per cent to 80.2 per cent.

Maths results have increased from 78.5 to 79.4 per cent and science from 86.5 to 87.2 per cent.

Nationally, English and maths results both increased by one percentage point to 81 and 78 per cent respectively. Science results remained at 88 per cent.

The figures were released yesterday despite problems which have left some schools still waiting for results, including seven in Oldham: Coppice, Hey with Zion, Lyndhurst, Propps Hall, Royton Hall, Stoneleigh and Thorp.

There are also concerns about the quality of marking which is being overseen by the US company ETS Europe.

The number of Oldham pupils achieving level five, that expected of 14-year-olds, was up slightly in maths to 29.8 per cent, but down in English (26.5 per cent) and science (42.4 per cent).

Nationally, the percentage of pupils reaching the higher level fell in all three subjects, prompting fears that schools are neglecting the brightest pupils.

Janet Donaldson, the council’s executive director for children, young people and families, is pleased with the results but said: “We are treating the figures published with a degree of caution.

“Over 99 per cent of our pupils’ papers have now been marked and returned, but there are still seven primary schools with some of their exam papers missing. It is difficult to gauge at this point whether that one per cent of papers will have any bearing on the overall results.

“However, we also expect that some schools will appeal pupils’ results due to national concerns about the quality of the marking.”

ETS said 97.1 per cent of schools in England now had full results.

However, Eileen Orriss, Oldham branch secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, questioned how national figures could be produced if some papers were outstanding.

She added: “On the one hand the children want to know their results, the parents want to know and the secondary schools need to know because they set according to these results.

“On the other hand it looks like the farce with A-levels a few years ago with people applying to university when they had got the wrong grades.”




Results ‘inflated’



THE results were released as a survey suggested teachers now believe Sats are more about proving standards have risen than gauging whether they actually have.



Nine out of 10 secondary school teachers believe Sats for 11–year–olds do not reflect their true abilities, according to the study by think–tank Civitas.

It found that a notable proportion of pupils were entering secondary schools with Key Stage 2 levels that are artificially inflated because primary school teachers are coaching them for the exams.