Pupils reap reward of return to the three Rs
By John Clare, Education Editor
FORCING primary schools to teach the Three Rs properly has led to a
record rise in the standards achieved by 11-year-olds, David Blunkett,
the
Education Secretary, said yesterday.
Announcing the results of this year's national
tests, he said they showed that the
Government had been right to concentrate on
the basics of literacy and numeracy. The
introduction a year ago of a compulsory
literacy hour, which included a large element
of phonics - the method of teaching reading
previously decried by the education
establishment - had produced a huge increase
in the proportion of 11-year-olds reaching
Level 4, the expected standard.
Last year, it was 71 per cent; this year it was
81 per cent, exceeding the target the
Government had set for 2002. In writing,
which includes handwriting and spelling, the
proportion reaching Level 4 rose by three per
cent to 56 per cent, indicating that teachers needed to work harder on
pupils'
spelling, punctuation and grammar. The combined results for reading and
writing showed that 70 per cent of 11-year-olds reached the expected level
in
English, up from 65 per cent last year and on target for 80 per cent by
2002.
Mr Blunkett said the proportion reaching Level 4 in maths shot up from
59
per cent last year to 69 per cent, reflecting the fact that most primary
schools
had already introduced the daily numeracy hour, which became compulsory
only this term. Again, schools had abandoned the methods propounded for
a
generation by teacher training institutions and returned to "tried and
tested
methods", including formal, whole-class instruction, a carefully detailed
syllabus and an emphasis on mental arithmetic.
Mr Blunkett, who has set a target of 75 per cent reaching the expected
level
in maths by 2002, said: "There is nothing more important in primary schools
than that children learn to read, write and do mathematics well."
Noting that the proportion of 11-year-olds achieving the expected level
in
science had risen from 69 per cent to 78 per cent, he added: "The results
show that the quality of teaching generated by the literacy and numeracy
strategies has brought benefits across the curriculum."
Tony Blair, who was visiting Southfields Junior School, Luton, said he
regarded the results as a "really significant milestone" in raising standards.
He
said: "When we started with these targets, people said it could not be
done -
but it can be."
Announcing the results for seven-year-olds, Mr Blunkett ignored the advice
he was given earlier this year by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority,
which said the pass mark was too low and a poor predictor of children's
performance at 11. The authority said the cut-off point for Level 2, which
is
divided into three classes, a, b and c, should be raised from 2c to 2b.
However, Mr Blunkett quoted the figures for the proportion who achieved
at
least Level 2c: 82 per cent for reading, 83 per cent for writing, 71 per
cent for
spelling, and 87 per cent for maths - all slightly up on last year. The
figures for
the proportion of seven-year-olds achieving Level 2b or better, which will
not
be published until next month, are expected to be in the sixties.
For pupils aged 14, the results showed little change on last year. The
proportions reaching at least Level 5 - the expected standard for the age
group is half way between Level 5 and Level 6 - were 63 per cent in English,
down two per cent; 62 per cent in maths, up three per cent; and 55 per
cent
in science, down one per cent.
Mr Blunkett explained that it was too early for the literacy and numeracy
strategies to have had an impact on 14-year-olds - who can, nevertheless,
be
expected to achieve record results at GCSE in two years. David Hart, general
secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, described the results
as a "quantum jump" and said they represented tremendous achievements by
pupils and teachers, led by their head teachers.