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28
Aug 2024
Bid to solve primary school attainment slide in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Council's education bosses are optimistic about tackling the slide in the average attainment of primary school children.
Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, the executive member for education, and Stuart Carlton, the council's director of children’s services, hope a reading project for Year 6 pupils would see “good movement” in the area for the first time.
They were responding to concerns raised by the chair of the council’s children’s scrutiny committee, Cllr Barbara Brodigan, after an officer’s report revealed a significant difference between primary pupils' attainment in North Yorkshire and elsewhere.
The document highlighted how analysis of the early years foundation stage in North Yorkshire showed average outcomes were above the national average, with 71.1% of children achieving a good level of development, compared to 67.9% nationally.
Officers said the results were approaching pre-pandemic levels, when rates of attainment were slightly higher and an improvement from the 70.3% reported last year.
However, the report showed by the time children left, primary schools’ attainment in the county had fallen three percentage points below the national average in reading, writing and maths.
While the results of children in key stage two have improved on the previous year, only 58% of children achieved the expected stage in the key skills.
Cllr Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents RiponUre bank and Spa, said:
Why does attainment seem to fall away as pupils get older and move through the primary school system?
Cllr Wilkinson said the authority had introduced a targeted reading project, which was improving attainment within schools, and the gap from the national average was closing.
The aim of the project is to support schools and academies across North Yorkshire to improve attainment in reading at the end of key stage two, so the overall outcomes are at least in line with the national figure.
Cllr Wilkinson said all local authority-maintained schools received monitoring and challenge from senior education advisors and school results were analysed as part of autumn planning meetings.
Mr Carlton added if the reading project proved successful, the authority was hoping it could be replicated for maths.
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