Young pupils failing to grasp basics

CHALLENGING WORK. . . Janet Doherty

OLDHAM pupils are near the bottom of the class when it comes to mastering basic skills.

And boys are lagging behind girls in all subjects, with a largest gap in in reading.

Primary school assessments across England show that there is no improvement in the numbers of seven-year-olds reaching the standards expected of their age group at key stage 1.

Figures for the North-West show that in reading, 84 per cent hit the standard, 80 per cent in writing, 90 per cent in maths and 89 per cent in science.

Oldham’s youngsters lagged behind with 80 per cent in reading, 75 per cent in writing, 86 per cent in maths and 82 per cent cent in science.

The figures are among the worst in the region and, as reflected nationally, girls in Oldham are doing better than boys.

The biggest gap is in reading: 85 per cent of girls reaching the standard locally compared with 75 per cent of boys.

Janet Doherty, service director for children, young people and families said: “Attainment at Key Stage 1 is a key challenge for Oldham. Schools work incredibly hard to make sure that pupils reach their potential and can access a broad and balanced curriculum.

“We have identified some key initiatives for the coming year and beyond to further raise the standards.

“We are already seeing the impact of the Communication, Language and Literacy programme and expect to see improvements in reading and writing at Key Stage 1 next year.

“We are also very excited to be taking part in the national Every Child a Reader programme this September. This will see our lower attaining pupils receive one to one support which we are confident will result in rapid progress for these pupils.”

Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said that, nationally, more still needed to be done

He added: “I’m pleased that high standards continue to be maintained but I want to see year–on–year improvements. Like teachers across the country, I have high expectations for all children.

“But more can be done, especially for children who are really struggling with basic literacy and numeracy.”