11
December
2015
|
09:15
Europe/London

County’s youngsters improve in core subjects

The proportion of the county’s pupils reaching Level 4+ in all three core subjects at Key Stage Two increased to 81 per cent in 2015 – up from 79 per cent last year.

It means the county has moved above the national average (80 per cent) on this measure. The proportion of children making expected progress between the ages of seven and eleven is also higher than the national average for reading and writing, and in line for maths.

Improvement for Oxford City pupils

The figures confirm significant improvement in pupils’ attainment in Oxford City, where 77 per cent of children achieved Level 4+ in all three core subjects – up from 73 per cent in 2014.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families Melinda Tilley said: “This is hugely encouraging news for children, families and schools across the county.

“We all want to see Oxfordshire children fulfilling their potential and the primary school years are crucial in terms of giving pupils the grounding and confidence in the core subjects. The county’s dedicated teaching staff and families themselves deserve great credit for these promising results, and the ongoing improvement we are seeing at Key Stage One and Two.”

She added: “Needless to say, everyone involved in our children’s education wants to see that trend continue, and for Oxfordshire to be among the highest achieving places nationally.”

Reading Campaign

The recent Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, backed by the Oxford Mail and delivered by the National Literacy Trust, helped targeted primary schools make significant improvements in literacy attainment at Key Stage One and Two in recent years – with many schools intending to carry on using the programme.

The campaign is continuing in primary schools with ‘Every Child Writes’, a scheme for seven to nine-year-olds at participating schools being delivered by Edge Hill University. It aims to help improve pupils’ literacy skills and boost confidence across all subject areas.

Cllr Tilley said: “This campaign work has helped create and sustain a real culture of reading and writing in participating schools, and I think it’s fair to say we are seeing this reflected in these improving results.”