East Lancashire schools celebrate pupils' SATs achievements

12:43pm Wednesday 6th August 2008

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By Deborah Lewis »

PROVISIONAL results for Key Stage 2 tests show that primary school children have made progress since last year.

But the reliability of the results continue to be questioned by critics, who slammed the Government for publishing them after the “fiasco” of marking.

And council education bosses said the results were “overshadowed” by the problems.

According to the provisional data, 11-year-olds in Lancashire County Council schools, which includes Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale schools, performed roughly the same as their predecessors last year.

The results show that in English and science, the proportion achieving level four has remained the same — 81 per cent in English and 88 per cent in science.

In maths there has been a one point increase to 80 per cent.

Blackburn and Darwen pupils have made slight improvements on last year in all three core subjects — English, maths and science — tested in the Key Stage 2 national curriculum exams, better known as SATs.

The results mean that Blackburn with Darwen is more or less on a par with Lancashire, and the national average, where before the borough has been slightly behind.

On a national level, there has been a slight improvement in attainment overall.

But the results have been overshadowed by the huge controversy surrounding their publication, due to the series of blunders made in the marking of both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 tests.

And independent exams board Ofqual advised Government statisticians that “there was no evidence of widespread problems” to justify withholding publication.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the data was based on 81 per cent of English results, 100 per cent of maths and 96 per cent of science.

For Lancashire, the data was based on 94 per cent of English results, 98 per cent of maths and 97 per cent of science. Lancashire County Coun Vali Patel, cabinet member for schools, said: “The publication is naturally overs-hadowed by the problems with marking, and even now, not all the results are back in.

“It may be that when all the papers are in, and heads have been able to make their comments, that these figures will improve further.

“But in the meantime I would like to congratulate our school staff, and all the pupils, for their hard work in difficult circumstances.”

The results are provisional subject the outcome of any appeals — hundreds of schools are expected to submit tests for review - and the outcome of the independent inquiry into the marking problems.