The Guardian – Staff Writer
“Almost half of all students at certain stages of education in England are still not achieving expected standards of success, a report has found. About 43% of children are not leaving primary school having reached adequate levels of reading, writing and maths, according to analysis from the thinktank CentreForum and research body Education DataLab. This level is set at achieving a 4b grade – sometimes referred to as a “good” level 4 – or higher in the three key subjects at the end of key stage 2, which usually lasts from the ages of seven to 11. Forty-four per cent of pupils finishing secondary school are not achieving the national standard of five A* to C in GCSEs, the report finds. But the level of attainment has risen over the course of the past decade, the report adds, recommending a higher “new benchmark standard” to which pupils can be held.”(more)