Key Stage 3 results disappoint

Initially the government wanted 85 per cent of all 14 year olds to achieve level five or above in English and maths and 80 per cent to achieve level five or above in science.

However, only 71 per cent of 14 year olds reached level five or above in science, 73 per cent in English and 77 per cent in maths.

This year maths was the only subject in which pupils achieved better results than in 2007, however the average increase was just one per cent.

Grades for English decreased by one per cent and grades in science by two per cent.

Schools Minister Jim Knight congratulated teachers and pupils on their hard work in 2008, but said the drop in English and science marks disappointed him.

He said: “There is more to do before all of our schools are truly first class and every young person is reaching their full potential. The reforms we set out in the Children’s Plan will accelerate the pace of improvement.”

However, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said SATs tests should be scrapped to raise standards in schools.

She said: “The Key Stage 3 tests are an irrelevance. No one will be interested in the results when young people apply for a job. In a year when SATs have collapsed under their own weight, cutting the Key Stage 3 tests would be an excellent way to reduce the excessive amount of testing our students face.”

The Key Stage 3 results released today (12 August 2008) are provisional and could change subject to appeals and an inquiry into the marking fiasco that has blighted this year’s exams.