The Telegraph – Javier Espinoza
“Banning calculators in the classroom has led to a record number of children passing maths tests at 11, ministers have claimed. New government figures showed 87 per cent of children gained at least a level 4 on maths, compared with 79 per cent in 2010 and 54 per cent in 1996 and the highest achievement in this subject on record. Since 2010, the figure has increased by 8 percentage points, which is the equivalent to 46,000 more pupils reaching the expected levels; The government said the strong figures in maths were helped in part to the banning of calculators during exams. Last year, calculators were banned in maths Sats tests in England but academics questioned whether this would raise standards.”(more)