High Attainment in the 2014 Primary School Performance Tables

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This is my annual post reviewing data about high attainment and high attainers at the end of Key Stage 2.

Data Overload courtesy of opensourceway

It draws on:

• The 2014 Primary School Performance Tables and

• Statistical First Release 50/2014: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2014 (revised)

and parallel material for previous years.

‘High attainment’ is taken to mean National Curriculum Level 5 and above.

‘High attainers’ are defined in accordance with the Performance Tables, meaning those with prior attainment above Level 2 in KS1 teacher assessments (average points score of 18 or higher). This measure obviously excludes learners who are particularly strong in one area but correspondingly weak in another.

The proportions of the end-of-KS2 cohort defined as high, middle and low attainers have remained fairly constant since 2012.

High attainers presently constitute the top quartile of the relevant population, but this proportion is not fixed: it will increase as and when KS1 performance improves.

	High %	Middle %	Low %
2014	25	58	18
2013	25	57	18
2012	24	57	19

Table 1: Proportion of high, middle and low prior attainers in state-funded schools by year since 2012

 

The percentage of high attainers in different schools’ end-of-KS2 cohorts varies very considerably and is unlikely to remain constant from year to year. Schools with small year groups are particularly vulnerable to significant fluctuations.

The 2014 Performance Tables show that Minster School, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire and St Patrick’s Church of England Primary Academy in Solihull each had 88% high attainers.

Over 600 primary schools have 50% or more high attainers within their cohorts. But, at the other extreme, more than 570 have no high attainers at all, while some 1,150 have 5% or fewer.

This serves to illustrate the very unequal distribution of learners with high prior attainment between schools.

The commentary below opens with a summary of the headline findings. The subsequent sections focus in turn on the composite measure (reading, writing and maths combined), then on the outcomes of the reading, GPS (grammar, punctuation and spelling) and maths tests and finally on teacher assessment in writing.

I have tried to ensure that percentages are consistent throughout this analysis, but the effect of rounding means that some figures are slightly different in different SFR tables. I apologise in advance for – and will of course correct – any transcription errors.

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Headlines

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Overall Trends

Chart 1 below compares performance at level 5 and above (L5+) and level 4 and above (L4+) in 2013 and 2014. The bars on the left hand side denote L4+, while those corresponding to L5+ are on the right.

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Chart 1: L4+ and L5+ performance compared, 2013-2014

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With the exception of maths, which has remained unchanged, there have been improvements across the board at L4+, of between two and four percentage points.

The same is true at L5+ and – in the case of reading, GPS and writing – the percentage point improvements are relatively larger. This is good news.

Chart 2 compares the gaps between disadvantaged learners (‘ever 6’ FSM plus children in care) and all other learners in state-funded schools on all five measures, for both 2013 and 2014.

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Chart 2: Disadvantaged gaps at L4+ and L5+ for all five measures, 2013 and 2014

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With the sole exception of the composite measure in 2013, each L4+ gap is smaller than the corresponding gap at L5+, though the difference can be as little as one percentage point (the composite measure) and as high as 11 percentage points (reading).

Whereas the L4+ gap in reading is lower than for any other measure, the L5+ reading gap is now the biggest. This suggests there is a particular problem with L5+ reading.

The distance between L4+ and L5+ gaps has typically widened since 2013, except in the case of maths, where it has narrowed by one percentage point.

While three of the L4+ gaps have closed slightly (composite, reading, GPS) the remainder are unchanged. However, two of the L5+ gaps have increased (composite, writing) and only the maths gap has closed slightly.

This suggests that what limited progress there has been in closing disadvantaged gaps has focused more on L4+ than L5+.

The pupil premium is not bringing about a radical improvement – and its impact is relatively lower at higher attainment levels.

A similar pattern is discernible with FSM gaps as Chart 3 reveals. This excludes the composite measure as this is not supplied in the SFR.

Overall the picture at L4+ is cautiously positive, with small downward trends on three of the four measures, but the picture at L5+ is more mixed since two of the measures are unchanged.

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Chart 3: FSM gaps at L4+ and L5+ compared, 2013 and 2014  

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Composite measure

• Although the proportion of learners achieving this benchmark is slightly higher in converter academies than in LA-maintained schools, the latter have improved faster since 2013. The success rate in sponsored academies is half that in converter academies. Free schools are improving but remain behind LA-maintained schools. 

• Some 650 schools achieve 50% or higher, but another 470 record 0% (fewer than the 600 which did so in 2013). 

• 67% of high attainers achieved this benchmark in 2014, up five percentage points on 2013 but one third still fall short, demonstrating that there is extensive underachievement amongst high attainers in the primary sector. This rather undermines HMCI’s observations in his Commentary on the 2014 Annual Report. 

• Although over 670 schools have a 100% success rate amongst their high attainers, 42 schools have recorded 0% (down from 54 in 2013). Several of these do better by their middle attainers. In 10 primary schools no high attainers achieve L4+ in reading, writing and maths combined.

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Reading

• The substantial improvement in L5+ reading performance since 2013 masks an as yet unexplained crash in Level 6 test performance. Only 874 learners in state-funded schools achieved L6 reading, compared with 2,137 in 2013. This is in marked contrast to a substantive increase in L6 test entries, the success rate on L6 teacher assessment and the trend in the other L6 tests. In 2013 around 12,700 schools had no pupils who achieved L6 reading, but this increased to some 13,670 schools in 2014. Even the performance of Chinese pupils (otherwise phenomenally successful on L6 tests) went backwards. 

• The proportion of Chinese learners achieving L5 in reading has reached 65% (compared with 50% for White learners), having increased by seven percentage points since 2013 and overtaken the 61% recorded in 2012. 

• 43 primary schools had a 100% success rate at Level 5 in the reading test, but 29 more registered 0%. 

• Some 92% of high attainers made at least the expected progress in reading, fewer than the 94% of middle attainers who did so. However, this was a three percentage point improvement on the 89% who made the requisite progress in 2013. 

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GPS

•  The proportion of Chinese learners achieving L5+ in the GPS test is now 75%, a seven percentage point improvement on 2013. Moreover, 15% achieved Level 6, up eight percentage points on 2013. (The comparable Level 5+ percentage for White learners is 50%). There are unmistakeable signs that Chinese ascendancy in maths is being replicated with GPS. 

• Some 7,210 schools had no learners achieving L6 in the GPS test, compared with 10,200 in 2013. While 18 schools recorded a perfect 100% record at Level 5 and above, 33 had no learners at L5+. 

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Maths

• Chinese learners continue to make great strides. The percentage succeeding on the L6 test has climbed a further six percentage points and now stands at 35% (compared with 8% for White Pupils). Chinese boys are at 39%. The proportion of Chinese learners achieving level 6 is now comparable to the proportions of other ethnic groups achieving level 5. This lends further credence to the notion that we have our own domestic equivalent of Shanghai’s PISA success – and perhaps to the suggestion that focusing on Shanghai’s classroom practice may bring only limited benefits. 

• While it is commendable that 3% of FSM and 4% of disadvantaged learners are successful in the L6 maths test, the gaps between them and other learners are increasing as the overall success rate grows. There are now seven percentage point gaps for FSM and disadvantaged alike. 

• Ten schools managed a L6 success rate of 50% or higher, while some 280 were at 30% or higher. On the other hand, 3,200 schools had no L6 passes (down from 5,100 in 2013). 

• About 94% of high attainers made the expected progress in maths a one percentage point improvement on 2013 – and two percentage points more than the proportion of successful middle attainers. But 27 schools posted a success rate of 50% or below.

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Writing (TA)

• Chinese pupils do not match their performance on the GPS test, though 6% achieve L6 in writing TA compared with just 2% of white pupils. 

• Three schools managed a 50% success rate at Level 6 and 56 were at 25% or above. Only one school managed 100% at L5, but some 200 scored 0%. 

• Some 93% of all pupils make the expected progress in writing between KS1 and KS2. This is true of 95% of high attainers – and 95% of middle attainers too.

 

Composite measure: reading, writing and maths

Table 2 shows the overall proportion of learners achieving L5 or above in all of reading, writing and maths in each year since 2012.

 

	2012	2013	2014
L5+ overall	20%	21%	24%
L5+ boys	17%	18%	20%
L5+ girls	23%	25%	27%

Table 2: Proportion of all learners achieving KS2 L5+ in reading, writing and maths, 2012-2014

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The overall success rate has increased by three percentage points compared with 2013 and by four percentage points since 2012.

The percentage of learners achieving L4+ has also improved by four percentage points since 2012, so the improvement at L5+ is broadly commensurate.

Over this period, girls’ lead over boys has remained relatively stable at between six and seven percentage points.

The SFR reveals that success on this measure varies significantly between school type.

The percentages for LA-maintained schools (24%) and all academies and free schools (23%) are little different.

However mainstream converter academies stand at 26%, twice the 13% recorded by sponsored academies. Free schools are at 21%. These percentages have changed significantly compared with 2013.

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Chart 4:  Comparison of proportion of learners achieving L5+ in reading writing and maths in 2013 and 2014

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Whereas free schools are making rapid progress and sponsored academies are also improving at a significant rate, converter academies are improving more slowly than LA-maintained schools.

The highest percentages on this measure in the Performance Tables are recorded by Fox Primary School in Kensington and Chelsea (86%) and Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School in Westminster (85%).

Altogether, some 650 schools have achieved success rates of 50% or higher, while 23 have managed 75% or higher.

At the other end of the spectrum about 470 schools have no learners at all who achieved this measure, fewer than the 600 recording this outcome in 2013.

Table 3 shows the gap between disadvantaged (ie ‘ever 6’ FSM and children in care) learners and others, as recorded in the Performance Tables.

	2012	2013	2014
Disadv	9	10	12
Other	24	26	29
Gap	15	16	17

Table 3: Proportion of disadvantaged learners achieving L5+ in reading, writing and maths, 2012-2014

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Although the percentage of disadvantaged learners achieving this benchmark has improved somewhat, the percentage of other learners doing so has improved faster, meaning that the gap between advantaged and other learners is widening steadily.

This contrasts with the trend at L4+, where the Performance Tables show a gap that has narrowed from 19 percentage points in 2012 (80% versus 61%) to 18 points in 2013 (81% versus 63%) and now to 16 points in 2014 (83% versus 67%).

Chart 5 below illustrates this comparison.

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Chart 5: Comparing disadvantaged/other attainment gaps in KS2 reading, writing and maths combined at L4+ and L5+, 2012-2014.

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While the L4+ gap has closed by three percentage points since 2012, the L5+ gap has widened by two percentage points. This suggests that disadvantaged learners amongst the top 25% by prior attainment are not benefiting commensurately from the pupil premium.

There are 97 primary schools where 50% or more disadvantaged learners achieve L5+ across reading, writing and maths (compared with 40 in 2013).

The highest performers record above 80% on this measure with their disadvantaged learners, albeit with cohorts of 6 to 8. Only one school with a more substantial cohort (of 34) manages over 70%. This is Tollgate Primary School in Newham.

The percentage of high attainers who achieved L5+ in 2014 was 67%, up five percentage points from 62% in 2013. (In 2012 the Performance Tables provided a breakdown for English and maths, which is not comparable).

Although this is a significant improvement, it means that one third of high attainers at KS1 still do not achieve this KS2 benchmark, suggesting that there is significant underachievement amongst this top quartile.

Thirteen percent of middle attainers also achieved this outcome, compared with 10% in 2013.

A significant number of schools – over 670 – do manage a 100% success rate amongst their high attainers, but there are also 42 schools where no high attainers achieve the benchmark (there were 54 in 2013). In several of them, more middle attainers than high attainers achieve the benchmark.

There are ten primary schools in which no high attainers achieve L4 in reading writing and maths. Perhaps one should be thankful for the fact that no middle attainers in these schools achieve the benchmark either!

The KS2 average point score was 34.0 or higher in five schools, equivalent to a level 5A. The highest  APS was 34.7, recorded by Fox Primary School, with a cohort of 42 pupils.

Across all state-funded schools, the average value added measure for high attainers across reading, writing and maths is 99.8, the same as it was in 2013.

The comparable averages for middle attainers and low attainers are 100.0 and 100.2 respectively, showing that high attainers benefit slightly less from their primary education.

The highest value-added recorded for high attainers is 104.7 by Tudor Court Primary School in Thurrock, while the lowest is 93.7 at Sacriston Junior School in Durham (now closed).

Three more schools are below 95.0 and some 250 are at 97.5 or lower.

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Reading Test

Table 4 shows the percentage of all learners, boys and girls achieving L5+ in reading since 2010. There has been a five percentage point increase (rounded) in the overall result since 2013, which restores performance to the level it had reached in 2010.

A seven percentage point gap in favour of girls remains unchanged from 2013. This is four points less than the comparable gender gap in 2010.

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	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
L5+ overall	50	43	48	44	50
Boys	45	37	43	41	46
Girls	56	48	53	48	53

Table 4: Percentage of learners achieving L5+ in reading since 2010

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As reported in my September 2014 post ‘What Happened to the Level 6 Reading Results?’ L6 performance in reading has collapsed in 2014.

The figures have improved slightly since the provisional results were released, but the collapse is still marked.

Table 5 shows the numbers successful since 2012.

The number of successful learners in 2014 is less than half the number successful in 2013 and almost back to the level in 2012 when the test was first introduced.

This despite the fact that the number of entries for the level 6 test – 95,000 – was almost exactly twice the 47,000 recorded in 2012 and significantly higher than the 70,000 entries in 2013.

For comparison, the number of pupils awarded level 6 in reading via teacher assessment was 15,864 in 2013 and 17,593 in 2014

We still have no explanation for this major decline which is entirely out of kilter with other L6 test outcomes.

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	2012		2013		2014
	%	No	%	No	%	No
L6+	0	900	0	2,262	0	935
Boys	0	200	0	592	0	263
Girls	0	700	1	1,670	0	672

Table 5: Number and percentage of learners achieving L6 on the KS2 reading test 2012-2014

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These figures include some pupils attending independent schools, but another table in the SFR reveals that 874 learners in state-funded primary schools achieved L6 (compared with 2,137 in 2013). Of these, all but 49 achieved L3+ in their KS1 reading assessment.

But some 13,700 of those with L3+ reading at the end of KS1 progressed to L4 or lower at the end of KS2.

The SFR does not supply numbers of learners with different characteristics achieving L6 and all percentages are negligible. The only group recording a positive percentage are Chinese learners at 1%.

In 2013, Chinese learners were at 2% and some other minority ethnic groups recorded 1%, so not even the Chinese have been able to withstand the collapse in the L6 success rate.

According to the SFR, the FSM gap at L5 is 21 percentage points (32% versus 53% for all other pupils). The disadvantaged gap is also 21 percentage points (35% versus 56% for all other pupils).

Chart 6 shows how these percentages have changed since 2012.

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Chart 6: FSM and disadvantaged gaps for KS2 reading test at L5+, 2012-2014

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FSM performance has improved by five percentage points compared with 2013, while disadvantaged performance has grown by six percentage points.

However, gaps remain unchanged for FSM and have increased by one percentage point for disadvantaged learners. There is no discernible or consistent closing of gaps in KS2 reading at L5.

These gaps of 21 percentage points for both FSM and disadvantaged, are significantly larger than the comparable gaps at L4+ of 12 (FSM) and 10 (disadvantaged) percentage points.

The analysis of level 5 performance in the SFR reveals that the proportion of Chinese learners achieving level 5 has reached 65%, having increased by seven percentage points since 2013 and overtaken the 61% recorded in 2012.

Turning to the Performance Tables, we can see that, in relation to L6:

• The highest recorded percentage achieving L6 is 17%, at Dent CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School in Cumbria. Thirteen schools recorded a L6 success rate of 10% or higher. (The top school in 2013 recorded 19%).

• In 2013 around 12,700 schools had no pupils who achieved L6 reading, whereas in 2014 this had increased to some 13,670 schools.

In relation to L5:

• 43 schools achieved a 100% record in L5 reading (compared with only 18 in 2013). All but one of these recorded 0% at L6, which may suggest that they were concentrating on maximising L5 achievement rather than risking L6 entry.

• Conversely, there are 29 primary schools where no learners achieved L5 reading.

Some 92% of high attainers made at least the expected progress in reading, fewer than the 94% of middle attainers who did so.  However, this was a three percentage point improvement on the 89% who made the requisite progress in 2013.

And 41 schools recorded a success rate of 50% or lower on this measure, most of them comfortably exceeding this with their low and middle attainers alike.

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GPS Test

Since the grammar, punctuation and spelling test was first introduced in 2013, there is only a two-year run of data. Tables 6 and 7 below show performance at L5+ and L6+ respectively.

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	2013 %	2014 %
L5+ overall	48	52
Boys	42	46
Girls	54	58

Table 6: Percentage of learners achieving L5+ in GPS, 2013 and 2014

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	2013		2014
	%	No	%	No
L6+	2	8,606	4	21,111
Boys	1	3,233	3	8,321
Girls	2	5,373	5	12,790

Table 7: Number and percentage of learners achieving L6 in GPS, 2013 and 2014

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Table 6 shows an overall increase of four percentage points in 2014 and the maintenance of a 12 percentage point gap in favour of girls.

Table 7 shows a very healthy improvement in L6 performance, which only serves to emphasise the parallel collapse in L6 reading. Boys have caught up a little on girls but the latter’s advantage remains significant.

The SFR shows that 75% of Chinese learners achieve L5 and above, up seven percentage points from 68% in 2013. Moreover, the proportion achieving L6 has increased by eight percentage points, to 15%. There are all the signs that Chinese eminence in maths is repeating itself with GPS.

Chart 7 shows how the FSM gap and disadvantaged gap has changed at L5+ for GPS. The disadvantaged gap has remained stable at 19 percentage points, while the FSM gap has narrowed by one percentage point.

These gaps are somewhat larger than those at L4 and above, which stand at 17 percentage points for FSM and 15 percentage points for disadvantaged learners.

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Chart 7:  FSM and disadvantaged gaps for KS2 GPS test at L5+, 2013 and 2014

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The Performance Tables show that, in relation to L6:

• The school with the highest percentage achieving level 6 GPS is Fulwood, St Peter’s CofE Primary School in Lancashire, which records a 47% success rate. Some 89 schools achieve a success rate of 25% or higher.

• In 2014 there were some 7,210 schools that recorded no L6 performers at all, but this compares favourably with 10,200 in 2013. This significant reduction is in marked contrast to the increase in schools with no L6 readers.

Turning to L5:

• 18 schools recorded a perfect 100% record for L5 GPS. These schools recorded L6 success rates that vary between 0% and 25%.

• There are 33 primary schools where no learners achieved L5 GPS.

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Maths test

Table 8 below provides the percentages of learners achieving L5+ in the KS2 maths test since 2010.

Over the five year period, the success rate has improved by eight percentage points, but the improvement in 2014 is less pronounced than it has been over the last few years.

The four percentage point lead that boys have over girls has changed little since 2010, apart from a temporary increase to six percentage points in 2012.

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	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
L5+ overall	34	35	39	41	42
Boys	36	37	42	43	44
Girls	32	33	36	39	40

Table 8: Percentage of learners achieving L5+ in KS2 maths test, 2010-2014

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Table 9 shows the change in achievement in the L6 test since 2012. This includes pupils attending independent schools – another table in the SFR indicates that the total number of successful learners in 2014 in state-funded schools is 47,349, meaning that almost 95% of those achieving L6 maths are located in the state-funded sector.

There has been a healthy improvement since 2013, with almost 15,000 more successful learners – an increase of over 40%. Almost one in ten of the end of KS2 cohort now succeeds at L6. This places the reversal in L6 reading into even sharper relief.

The ratio between boys and girls has remained broadly unchanged, so boys continue to account for over 60% of successful learners.

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	2012		2013		2014
	%	No	%	No	%	No
L6+	3	19,000	7	35,137	9	50,001
Boys		12,400	8	21,388	11	30,173
Girls		6,600	5	13,749	7	19,828

Table 9 Number and percentage of learners achieving L6 in KS2 maths test 2012-2014

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The SFR shows that, of those achieving L6 in state-funded schools, some 78% had achieved L3 or above at KS1. However, some 9% of those with KS1 L3 – something approaching 10,000 pupils – progressed only to L4, or lower.

The breakdown for minority ethnic groups shows that the Chinese ascendancy continues. This illustrated by Chart 8 below.

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Chart 8: KS2 L6 maths test performance by ethnic background, 2012-2014

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In 2014, the percentage of Chinese achieving L5+ has increased by a respectable three percentage points to 74%, but the L6 figure has climbed by a further six percentage points to 35%. More than one third of Chinese learners now achieve L6 on the maths test.

This means that the proportion of Chinese pupils achieving L6 is now broadly similar to the proportion of other minorities achieving Level 5 (34% of white pupils for example).

They are fifteen percentage points ahead of the next best outcome – 20% recorded by Indian learners. White learners stand at 8%.

There is an eight percentage point gap between Chinese boys (39%) and Chinese girls (31%). The gap for white boys and girls is much lower, but this is a consequence of the significantly lower percentages.

Given that Chinese pupils are capable of achieving such extraordinary results under the present system, these outcomes raise significant questions about the balance between school and family effects and whether efforts to emulate Chinese approaches to maths teaching are focused on the wrong target.

Success rates in the L6 maths test are high enough to produce percentages for FSM and disadvantaged learners. The FSM and disadvantaged gaps both stand at seven percentage points, whereas they were at 5 percentage points (FSM) and 6 percentage points (disadvantaged) in 2013. The performance of disadvantaged learners has improved, but not as fast as that of other learners.

Chart 9 shows how these gaps have changed since 2012.

While the L6 gaps are steadily increasing, the L5+ gaps have remained broadly stable at 20 percentage points (FSM) and 21 percentage points (disadvantaged). There has been a small one percentage point improvement in the gap for disadvantaged learners in 2014, matching the similar small improvement for L4+.

The gaps at L5+ remain significantly larger than those at L4+ (13 percentage points for FSM and 11 percentage points for disadvantaged).

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Chart 9: FSM and disadvantaged gaps, KS2 L5+ and L6 maths test, 2012 to 2014

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The Performance Tables reveal that:

• The school with the highest recorded percentage of L6 learners is Fox Primary School (see above) at 64%, some seven percentage points higher than its nearest rival. Ten schools achieve a success rate of 50% or higher (compared with only three in 2013), 56 at 40% or higher and 278 at 30% or higher.

• However, over 3,200 schools record no L6 passes. This is a significant improvement on the 5,100 in this category in 2013, but the number is still far too high.

• Nine schools record a 100% success rate for L5+ maths. This is fewer than the 17 that managed this feat in 2013.

Some 94% of high attainers made the expected progress in maths a one percentage point improvement on 2013, two percentage points more than did so in reading in 2014 – and two percentage points more than the proportion of middle attainers managing this.

However, 27 schools had a success rate of 50% or below, the vast majority of them comfortably exceeding this with their middle attainers – and often their low attainers too.

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Writing Teacher Assessment

Table 10 shows how the percentage achieving L5+ through the teacher assessment of writing has changed since 2012.

There has been a healthy five percentage point improvement overall, and an improvement of three percentage points since last year, stronger than the comparable improvement at L4+. The large gender gap of 15 percentage points in favour of girls is also unchanged since 2013.

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	2012	2013	2014
L5+ overall	28	30	33
Boys	22	23	26
Girls	35	38	41

Table 10: Percentage achieving level 5+ in KS2 writing TA 2012-2014

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Just 2% of learners nationally achieve L6 in writing TA – 11,340 pupils (10,654 of them located in state-funded schools).

However, this is a very significant improvement on the 2,861 recording this outcome in 2013. Just 3,928 of the total are boys.

Chinese ascendancy at L6 is not so significant. The Chinese success rate stands at 6%. However, if the comparator is performance at L5+ Chinese learners record 52%, compared with 33% for both White and Asian learners.

The chart below shows how FSM and disadvantaged gaps have changed at L5+ since 2012.

This indicates that the FSM gap, having widened by two percentage points in 2013, has narrowed by a single percentage point in 2014, so it remains higher than it was in 2012. Meanwhile the disadvantaged gap has widened by one percentage point since 2013.

The comparable 2014 gaps at L4+ are 15 percentage points (FSM) and 13 percentage points (disadvantaged), so the gaps at L5+ are significantly larger.

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Chart 10: FSM and disadvantaged gaps, L5+ Writing TA, 2012-2014

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The Performance Tables show that:

• Three schools record a L6 success rate of 50% and only 56 are at 25% or higher.

• At the other end of the spectrum, the number of schools with no L6s is some 9,780, about a thousand fewer than in 2013.

• At L5+ only one school has a 100% success rate (there were four in 2013). Conversely, about 200 schools record 0% on this measure.

Some 93% of all pupils make the expected progress in writing between KS1 and KS2 and this is true of 95% of high attainers – the same percentage of middle attainers is also successful.

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Conclusion

Taken together, this evidence presents a far more nuanced picture of high attainment and high attainers’ performance in the primary sector than suggested by HMCI’s Commentary on his 2014 Annual Report:

‘The proportion of pupils at Key Stage 2 attaining a Level 5 or above in reading, writing and mathematics increased from 21% in 2013 to 24% in 2014.

Attainment at Level 6 has also risen. In mathematics, the proportion of pupils achieving Level 6 rose from 3% in 2012 to 9% in 2014. The proportion achieving Level 6 in grammar, punctuation and spelling rose by two percentage points in the last year to 4%.

These improvements suggest that primary schools are getting better at identifying the brightest children and developing their potential.’

There are four particular areas of concern:

• Underachievement amongst high attainers is too prevalent in far too many primary schools. Although there has been some improvement since 2013, the fact that only 67% of those with high prior attainment at KS1 achieve L5 in reading, writing and maths combined is particularly worrying.

• FSM and disadvantaged achievement gaps at L5+ remain significantly larger than those at L4+ – and there has been even less progress in closing them. The pupil premium ought to be having a significantly stronger impact on these excellence gaps.

• The collapse of L6 reading test results is all the more stark when compared with the markedly improved success rates in GPS and maths which HMCI notes. We still have no explanation of the cause.

• The success rates of Chinese pupils on L6 tests remains conspicuous and in maths is frankly extraordinary. This evidence of a ‘domestic Shanghai effect’ should be causing us to question why other groups are so far behind them – and whether we need to look beyond Shanghai classrooms when considering how best to improve standards in primary maths.

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GP

December 2014

What Happened to the Level 6 Reading Results?

 

Provisional 2014 key stage 2 results were published on 28 August.

This brief supplementary post considers the Level 6 test results – in reading, in maths and in grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) – and how they compare with Level 6 outcomes in 2012 and 2013.

An earlier post, A Closer Look at Level 6, published in May 2014, provides a fuller analysis of these earlier results.

Those not familiar with the 2014 L6 test materials can consult the papers, mark schemes and level thresholds at these links:

• Reading
• GPS
• Maths

 

Number of Entries

Entry levels for the 2014 Level 6 tests were published in the media in May 2014. Chart 1 below shows the number of entries for each test since 2012 (2013 in the case of GPS). These figures are for all schools, independent as well as state-funded.

 

Chart 1: Entry rates for Level 6 tests 2012 to 2014 – all schools

 

In 2014, reading entries were up 36%, GPS entries up 52% and maths entries up 36%. There is as yet no indication of a backlash from the decision to withdraw Level 6 tests after 2015, though this may have an impact next year.

The postscript to A Closer Look estimated that, if entries continue to increase at current rates, we might expect something approaching 120,000 in reading, 130,000 in GPS and 140,000 in maths.

Chart 2 shows the percentage of all eligible learners entered for Level 6 tests, again for all schools. Nationally, between one in six and one in five eligible learners are now entered for Level 6 tests. Entry rates for reading and maths have almost doubled since 2012.

 

Chart 2: Percentage of eligible learners entered for Level 6 tests 2012 to 2014, all schools

 

Success Rates

The headline percentages in the SFR show:

• 0% achieving L6 reading (unchanged from 2013)

• 4% achieving L6 GPS (up from 2% in 2013) and

• 9% achieving L6 maths (up from 7% in 2013).

Local authority and regional percentages are also supplied.

• Only in Richmond did the L6 pass rate in reading register above 0% (at 1%). Hence all regions are at 0%.

• For GPS the highest percentages are 14% in Richmond, 10% in Kensington and Chelsea and Kingston, 9% in Sutton and 8% in Barnet, Harrow and Trafford. Regional rates vary between 2% in Yorkshire and Humberside and 6% in Outer London.

• In maths, Richmond recorded 22%, Kingston 19%, Trafford, Harrow and Sutton were at 18% and Kensington and Chelsea at 17%. Regional rates range from 7% in Yorkshire and Humberside and the East Midlands to 13% in Outer London.

Further insight into the national figures can be obtained by analysing the raw numbers supplied in the SFR.

Chart 3 shows how many of those entered for each test were successful in each year. Here there is something of a surprise.

 

Chart 3: Percentage of learners entered achieving Level 6, 2012 to 2014, all schools

 

Nearly half of all entrants are now successful in L6 maths, though the improvement in the success rate has slowed markedly compared with the nine percentage point jump in 2013.

In GPS, the success rate has improved by nine percentage points between 2013 and 2014 and almost one in four entrants is now successful. Hence the GPS success rate is roughly half that for maths. This may be attributable in part to its shorter history, although the 2014 success rate is significantly below the rate for maths in 2013.

But in reading an already very low success rate has declined markedly, following a solid improvement in 2013 from a very low base in 2012. The 2014 success rate is now less than half what it was in 2012. Fewer than one in a hundred of those entered have passed this test.

Chart 4 shows how many learners were successful in the L6 reading test in 2014 compared with previous years, giving results for boys and girls separately.

 

Chart 4: Percentage of learners entered achieving Level 6 in reading, 2012 to 2014, by gender

 

The total number of successful learners in 2014 is over 5% lower than in 2012, when the reading test was introduced, and down 62% on the success rate achieved in 2013.

Girls appear to have suffered disproportionately from the decline in 2014 success rates. While the success rate for girls is down 63%, the decline for boys is slightly less, at 61%. The success rate for boys remains above where it was in 2012 but, for girls, it is about 12% down on where it was in 2012.

In 2012, only 22% of successful candidates were boys. This rose to 26% in 2013 and has again increased slightly, to 28% in 2014. The gap between girls’ and boys’ performance remains substantially bigger than those for GPS and maths.

Charts 5 and 6 give the comparable figures for GPS and maths respectively.

In GPS, the total number of successful entries has increased by almost 140% compared with 2013. Girls form a slightly lower proportion of this group than in 2013, their share falling from 62% to 60%. Boys are therefore beginning to close what remains a substantial performance gap.

 

Chart 5: Percentage of learners entered achieving Level 6 in GPS, 2012 to 2014, by gender

 

In maths, the total number of successful entries is up by about 40% on 2013 and demonstrates rapid improvement over the three year period.

Compared with 2013, the success rate for girls has increased by 43%, whereas the corresponding increase for boys is closer to 41%. Boys formed 65% of the successful cohort in 2012, 61% in 2013 and 60% in 2014, so girls’ progress in narrowing this substantial performance gap is slowing.

 

Chart 6: Percentage of learners entered achieving Level 6 in maths, 2012 to 2014, by gender

 

Progress

The SFR also provides a table, this time for state-funded schools only, showing the KS1 outcomes of those successful in achieving Level 6. (For maths and reading, this data includes those with a non-numerical grade in the test who have been awarded L6 via teacher assessment. The data for writing is derived solely from teacher assessment.)

Not surprisingly, over 94% of those achieving Level 6 in reading had achieved Level 3 in KS1, but 4.8% were at L2A and a single learner was recorded at Level 1. The proportion with KS1 Level 3 in 2013 was higher, at almost 96%.

In maths, however, only some 78% of those achieving Level 6 were at Level 3 in KS1. A further 18% were at 2A and almost 3% were at 2B. A further 165 were recorded as 2C or 1. In 2013, over 82% had KS1 L3 while almost 15% had 2A.

It seems, therefore, that KS1 performance was a slightly weaker indicator of KS2 level 6 success in 2014 than in the previous year, but this trend was apparent in both reading and maths – and KS1 performance remains a significantly weaker indicator in maths than it is in reading.

 

Why did the L6 reading results decline so drastically?

Given that the number of entries for the Level 6 reading test increased dramatically, the declining pass rate suggests either a problematic test or that schools entered a higher proportion of learners who had relatively little chance of success. A third possibility is that the test was deliberately made more difficult.

The level threshold for the 2014 Level 6 reading test was 24 marks, compared with 22 marks in 2013, but there are supposed to be sophisticated procedures in place to ensure that standards are maintained. We should be able to discount the third cause.

The second cause is also unlikely to be significant, since schools are strongly advised only to enter learners who are already demonstrating attainment beyond KS2 Level 5.There is no benefit to learners or schools from entering pupils for tests that they are almost certain to fail.

The existing pass rate was very low, but it was on an upward trajectory. Increasing familiarity with the test ought to have improved schools’ capacity to enter the right learners and to prepare them to pass it.

That leaves only the first possibility – something must have been wrong with the test.

Press coverage from May 2014, immediately after the test was administered, explained that it contained different rules for learners and invigilators about the length of time available for answering questions.

The paper gave learners one hour for completion, while invigilators were told pupils had 10 minutes’ reading time followed by 50 minutes in which to answer the questions. Schools interpreted this contradiction differently and several reported disruption to the examination as a consequence.

The NAHT was reported to have written to the Standards and Testing Agency:

‘…asking for a swift review into this error and to seek assurance that no child will be disadvantaged after having possibly been given incorrect advice on how to manage their time and answers’.

The STA statement says:

‘We apologise for this error. All children had the same amount of time to complete the test and were able to consult the reading booklet at any time. We expect it will have taken pupils around 10 minutes to read the booklet, so this discrepancy should not have led to any significant advantage for those pupils where reading time was not correctly allotted.’

NAHT has now posted the reply it received from STA on 16 May. It says:

‘Ofqual, our regulator, is aware of the error and of the information set out below and will, of
course, have to independently assure itself that the test remains valid. We would not
expect this to occur until marking and level setting processes are complete, in line with
their normal timescales.’

It then sets out the reasons why it believes the test remains valid. These suggest the advantage to the learners following the incorrect instructions was minimal since:

• few would need less than 10 minutes’ reading time;

• pre-testing showed 90% of learners completed the test within 50 minutes;

• in 2013 only 3.5% of learners were within 1 or 2 marks of the threshold;

• a comparative study to change the timing of the Levels 3-5 test made little difference to item difficulty.

NAHT says it will now review the test results in the light of this response.

 

@GiftedPhoenix Here's the letter: http://t.co/nL4Imgghr0 I'll need to review the results against this.

— Russell Hobby (@russellhobby) September 8, 2014

 

Who is responsible?

According to its most recent business plan, STA:

‘is responsible for setting and maintaining test standards’ (p3)

but it publishes little or nothing about the process involved, or how it handles representations such as that from NAHT.

Meanwhile, Ofqual says its role is:

‘to make sure the assessments are valid and fit for purpose, that the assessments are fair and manageable, that the standards are properly set and maintained and the results are used appropriately.

We have two specific objectives as set out by law:

• to promote assessment arrangements which are valid, reliable and comparable
• to promote public confidence in the arrangements.

We keep national assessments under review at all times. If we think at any point there might be a significant problem with the system, then we notify the Secretary of State for Education.’

Ofqual’s Chair has confirmed via Twitter that Ofqual was:

‘made aware at the time, considered the issues and observed level setting’.

Ofqual was content that the level-setting was properly undertaken.

 

@GiftedPhoenix Yes, Ofqual was made aware at the time, considered the issues and observed level-setting: we are content that L6 set properly

— Amanda Spielman (@amanda_spielman) September 8, 2014

 

I asked whether, in the light of that, Ofqual saw a role for itself in investigating the atypical results. I envisaged that this might take place under the Regulatory Framework for National Curriculum Assessments (2011).

This commits Ofqual to publishing annually its ‘programme for reviewing National Assessment arrangements’ (p14) as well as ‘an annual report on the outcomes of the review programme’ (p18).

However the most recent of these relates to 2011/12 and appeared in November of that year.

 

@GiftedPhoenix No plans to investigate this year any further.

— Amanda Spielman (@amanda_spielman) September 10, 2014

 

I infer from this that we may seem some reaction from Ofqual, if and when it finally produces an annual report on National Curriculum Assessments in 2014, but that’s not going to appear before 2015 at the earliest.

I can’t help but feel that this is not quite satisfactory – that atypical test performance of this magnitude ought to trigger an automatic and transparent review, even if the overall number of learners affected is comparatively small.

If I were part of the system I would want to understand promptly exactly what happened, for fear that it might happen again.

If you are in any doubt quite how out of kilter the reading test outcomes were, consider the parallel results for Level 6 teacher assessment.

In 2013, 5,698 learners were assessed at Level 6 in reading through teacher assessment – almost exactly two-and-a-half times as many as achieved Level 6 in the test.

In 2014, a whopping 17,582 learners were assessed at Level 6 through teacher assessment, around 20 times as many as secured a Level 6 in the reading test.

If the ratio between test and teacher assessment results in 2014 had been the same as it was in 2013, the number successful on the test would have been over 7,000, eight-fold higher than the reported 851.

I rest my case.

 

The new regime

In February 2013, a DfE-commissioned report Investigation of Key Stage 2 Level 6 Tests recommended that:

‘There is a need to review whether the L6 test in Reading is the most appropriate test to use to discriminate between the highest ability pupils and others given:

a) that only around 0.3 per cent of the pupils that achieved at least a level 5 went on to achieve a level 6 in Reading compared to 9 per cent for Mathematics

b) there was a particular lack of guidance and school expertise in this area

c) pupil maturity was seen to be an issue

d) the cost of supporting and administering a test for such a small proportion of the school population appears to outweigh the benefits.’

This has been overtaken by the decision to withdraw all three Level 6 tests and to rely on single tests of reading GPS and maths for all learners when the new assessment regime is introduced from 2016.

Draft test frameworks were published in March 2014, supplemented in July by sample questions, mark schemes and commentary.

Given the imminent introduction of this new regime, together with schools’ experience in 2014, it seems increasingly unlikely that 2015 Level 6 test entries in reading will approach the 120,000 figure suggested by the trend.

Perhaps more importantly, schools and assessment experts alike seem remarkably sanguine about the prospect of single tests for pupils demonstrating the full range of prior attainment, apart from those assessed via the P-Scales. (The draft test frameworks are worryingly vague about whether those operating at the equivalent of Levels 1 and 2 will be included.)

I could wish to be equally sanguine, on behalf of all those learners capable of achieving at least the equivalent of Level 6 after 2015. But, as things stand, the evidence to support that position is seemingly non-existent.

In October 2013, Ofqual commented that:

‘There are also some significant technical challenges in designing assessments which can discriminate effectively and consistently across the attainment range so they can be reported at this level of precision.’

A year on, we still have no inkling whether those challenges have been overcome.

 

GP

September 2014

 

 

 

 

A Closer Look at Level 6

This post provides a data-driven analysis of Level 6 (L6) performance at Key Stage 2, so as to:

• Marshall the published information and provide a commentary that properly reflects this bigger picture;

• Establish which data is not yet published but ought to be in the public domain;

• Provide a baseline against which to measure L6 performance in the 2014 SATs; and

• Initiate discussion about the likely impact of new tests for the full attainment span on the assessment and performance of the highest attainers, both before and after those tests are introduced in 2016.

Following an initial section highlighting key performance data across the three L6 tests – reading; grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS); and maths – the post undertakes a more detailed examination of L6 achievement in English, maths and science, taking in both teacher assessment and test outcomes.

It  concludes with a summary of key findings reflecting the four purposes above.

Those who prefer not to read the substantive text can jump straight to the summary from here

I apologise in advance for any transcription errors and statistical shortcomings in the analysis below.

Background

Relationship with previous posts

This discussion picks up themes explored in several previous posts.

In May 2013 I reviewed an Investigation of Level 6 Key Stage 2 Tests commissioned and published by in February that year by the Department for Education.

My overall assessment of that report?

‘A curate’s egg really. Positive and useful in a small way, not least in reminding us that primary-secondary transition for gifted learners remains problematic, but also a missed opportunity to flag up some other critical issues – and of course heavily overshadowed by the primary assessment consultation on the immediate horizon.’

The performance of the highest primary attainers also featured strongly in an analysis of the outcomes of NAHT’s Commission on Assessment (February 2014) and this parallel piece on the response to the consultation on primary assessment and accountability (April 2014).

The former offered the Commission two particularly pertinent recommendations, namely that it should:

‘shift from its narrow and ‘mildly accelerative’ view of high attainment to accommodate a richer concept that combines enrichment (breadth), extension (depth) and acceleration (faster pace) according to learners’ individual needs.’

Additionally it should:

‘incorporate a fourth ‘far exceeded’ assessment judgement, since the ‘exceeded’ judgement covers too wide a span of attainment.’

@russellhobby Thanks for taking my work seriously

— GiftedPhoenix (@GiftedPhoenix) March 21, 2014

@GiftedPhoenix it was very helpful.

— Russell Hobby (@russellhobby) March 21, 2014

The latter discussed plans to discontinue L6 tests by introducing from 2016 single tests for the full attainment span at the end of KS2, from the top of the P-scales to a level the initial consultation document described as ‘at least of the standard of’ the current L6.

It opined:

‘The task of designing an effective test for all levels of prior attainment at the end of key stage 2 is…fraught with difficulty…I have grave difficulty in understanding how such assessments can be optimal for high attainers and fear that this is bad assessment practice.’

Aspects of L6 performance also featured in a relatively brief review of High Attainment in 2013 Primary School Performance Tables (December 2013). This post expands significantly on the relevant data included in that one.

The new material is drawn from three principal sources:

• SFR 51/2013: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2012 to 2013 (December 2013)

• The 2013 Primary School Performance Tables (December 2013)

• The 2013 static national transition matrices for reading, writing and maths (January 2014).

The recent history of L6 tests

Level 6 tests have a rather complex history. The footnotes to SFR 51/2013 simplify this considerably, noting that:

• L6 tests were initially available from 1995 to 2002

• In 2010 there was a L6 test for mathematics only

• Since 2012 there have been tests of reading and mathematics

• The GPS test was introduced in 2013.

In fact, the 2010 maths test was the culmination of an earlier QCDA pilot of single level tests. In that year the results from the pilot were reported as statutory National Curriculum test results in pilot schools.

In 2011 optional L6 tests were piloted in reading, writing and maths. These were not externally marked and the results were not published.

The June 2011 Bew Report came out in favour:

‘We believe that the Government should continue to provide level 6 National Curriculum Tests for schools to use on an optional basis, whose results should be reported to parents and secondary schools.’

Externally marked L6 tests were offered in reading and maths in 2012, alongside L6 teacher assessment in writing. The GPS test was added to the portfolio in the following year.

In 2012, ministers were talking up the tests describing them as:

‘…a central element in the Coalition’s drive to ensure that high ability children reach their potential. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said: “Every child should be given the opportunity to achieve to the best of their abilities.

“These tests will ensure that the brightest pupils are stretched and standards are raised for all.”’

In 2012 the Primary Performance Tables used L6 results only in the calculation of ‘level 5+’, APS, value-added and progress measures, but this was not the case in 2013.

The Statement of Intent on the Tables said:

‘…the percentage of the number of children at the end of Key Stage 2 achieving level 6 in a school will also be shown in performance tables. The Department will not publish any information at school level about the numbers of children entered for the level 6 tests, or the percentage achieving level 6 of those entered for level 6.’

The nature of the test is unchanged for 2014: they took place on 12, 13 and 15 May respectively. This post is timed to coincide with their administration.

The KS2 ARA booklet  continues to explain that:

‘Children entered for level 6 tests are required to take the levels 3-5 tests. Headteachers should consider a child’s expected attainment before registering them for the level 6 tests as they should be demonstrating attainment above level 5. Schools may register children for the level 6 tests and subsequently withdraw them.

The child must achieve a level 5 in the levels 3-5 test and pass the corresponding level 6 test in the same year in order to be awarded an overall level 6 result. If the child does not pass the level 6 test they will be awarded the level achieved in the levels 3-5 test.’

Anticipated future developments

At the time of writing the Government has not published a Statement of Intent explaining whether there will be any change in the reporting of L6 results in the December 2014 Primary School Performance Tables.

An accompanying Data Warehouse (aka Portal) is also under development and early iterations are expected to appear before the next set of Tables. The Portal will make available a wider range of performance data, some of it addressing high attainment.

The discussion in this post of material not yet in the public domain is designed in part as a marker to influence consideration of material for inclusion in the Portal.

As noted above, the Government has published its response to the consultation on primary assessment and accountability arrangements, confirming that new single assessments for the full attainment span will be introduced in 2016.

At the time of writing, there is no published information about the number of entries for the 2014 tests. (In 2013 these details were released in the reply to a Parliamentary Question.)

Entries had to be confirmed by March 2014, so it may be that the decision to replace the L6 tests, not confirmed until that same month, has not impacted negatively on demand. The effect on 2015 entries remains to be seen, but there is a real risk that these will be significantly depressed.

L6 tests are scheduled to be taken for the final time in May 2015. The reading and maths tests will have been in place for four consecutive years; the GPS test for three.

Under the new arrangements there will continue to be tests in reading, GSP and maths – plus a sampling test in science – as well as teacher assessment in reading, writing, maths and science.

KS2 test outcomes (but not teacher assessment) will be reported by means of a scaled score for each test, alongside three average scaled scores, for the school, the local area and nationally.

The original consultation document proposed that each scaled score would be built around a ‘secondary readiness standard’ loosely aligned with the current L4B, but converted into a score of 100.

The test development frameworks mention that:

‘at the extremes of the scaled score distribution, as is standard practice, the scores will be truncated such that above and below a certain point, all children will be awarded the same scaled score in order to minimise the effect for children at the ends of the distribution where the test is not measuring optimally.’

A full set of sample materials including tests and mark schemes for every test will be published by September 2015, the beginning of the academic year in which the new tests are first deployed.

The consultation document said these single tests would:

‘include challenging material (at least of the standard of the current level 6 test) which all pupils will have the opportunity to answer, without the need for a separate test’.

The development frameworks published on 31 March made it clear that the new tests should:

‘provide a suitable challenge for all children and give every child the opportunity to achieve as high a standard…as possible.’

Additionally:

‘In order to improve general accessibility for all children, where possible, questions will be placed in order of difficulty.’

These various and potentially conflicting statements informed the opinion I have already repeated.

The question then arises whether the Government’s U turn on separate tests for the highest attainers is in the latter’s best interests. There cannot be a continuation of L6 tests per se, because the system of levels that underpins it will no longer exist, but separate tests could in principle continue.

Even if the new universal tests provide equally valid and reliable judgements of their attainment – which is currently open to question – one might reasonably argue that the U turn itself may undermine continuity of provision and continued improvement in schools’ practice.

The fact that this practice needs substantive improvement is evidenced by Ofsted’s recent decision to strengthen the attention given to the attainment and progress of what they call ‘the most able’ in all school inspection reports.

L6 tests: Key Performance Data

Entry and success rates

As noted above, the information in the public domain about entry rates to L6 tests is incomplete.

The 2013 Investigation provides the number of pupils entered for each test in 2012. We do not have comparable data for 2013, but a PQ reply does supply the number of pupils registered for the tests in both 2012 and 2013. This can be supplemented by material in the 2013 SFR and the corresponding 2012 publication.

The available data is synthesised in this table showing for each year – and where available – the number registered for each test, the number entered, the total number of pupils achieving L6 and, of those, the number attending state-funded schools.

	2012				2013
	Reg	Ent	Pass	PassSF	Reg	Ent	Pass	Pass SF
Reading	47,148	46,810	942	x	73,118	x	2,262	2,137
GPS	x	x	x	x	61,883	x	8,606	x
Maths	55,809	55,212	18,953	x	80,925	x	35,137	33,202

One can see that there are relatively small differences between the numbers of pupils registered and the number entered, so the former is a decent enough proxy for the latter. I shall use the former in the calculations immediately below.

It is also evident that the proportions of learners attending independent schools who achieve L6 are small though significant. But, given the incomplete data set for state-funded schools, I shall use the pass rate for all schools in the following calculations.

In sum then, in 2012, the pass rates per registered entry were:

• Reading – 2.0%
• Maths – 34.0%

And in 2013 they were:

• Reading – 3.1%
• GPS – 13.9%
• Maths – 43.4%

The pass rates in 2013 have improved significantly in both reading and maths, the former from a very low base. However, the proportion of learners successful in the L6 reading test remains extremely small.

The 2013 Investigation asserted, on the basis of the 2012 results, that:

‘The cost of supporting and administering a test for such a small proportion of the school population appears to outweigh the benefits’

However it did not publish any information about that cost.

It went on to suggest that there is a case for reviewing whether the L6 test is the most appropriate means to  ‘identify a range of higher performing pupils, for example the top 10%’. The Government chose not to act on this suggestion.

Gender, ethnic background and disadvantage

The 2013 results demonstrate some very significant gender disparities, as revealed in Chart 1 below.

Girls account for 62% of successful pupils in GPS and a whopping 74% in reading, while boys account for 61% of successful pupils in maths. These imbalances raise important questions about whether gender differences in high attainment are really this pronounced, or whether there is significant underachievement amongst the under-represented gender in each case.

Chart 1: Number of pupils successful in 2013 L6 tests by gender

There are equally significant disparities in performance by ethnic background. Chart 2 below illustrates how the performance of three selected ethnic minority groups – white, Asian and Chinese – varies by test and gender.

It shows that pupils from Chinese backgrounds have a marked ascendancy in all three tests, while Asian pupils are ahead of white pupils in GPS and maths but not reading. Girls are ahead of boys within all three ethnic groups, girls leading in reading and GPS and boys leading in maths. Chinese girls comfortably out-perform white and Asian boys

Chinese pupils are way ahead in maths, with 29% overall achieving L6 and an astonishing 35% of Chinese boys achieving this outcome.

The reasons for this vast disparity are not explained and raise equally awkward questions about the distribution of high attainment and the incidence of underachievement.

 

Chart 2: Percentages of pupils successful in 2013 L6 tests by gender and selected ethnic background

There are also significant excellence gaps on each of the tests, though these are hard to visualise when working solely with percentages (pupil numbers have not been published).

The percentage variations are shown in the table below. This sets out the FSM gap and the disadvantaged gap, the latter being based on the ever-6 FSM measure that underpins the Pupil Premium.

These figures suggest that, while learners eligible for the Pupil Premium are demonstrating success on the maths test (and, for girls at least, on the GPS test too), they are over three times less likely to be successful than those from advantaged backgrounds. The impact of the Pupil Premium is therefore limited.

The gap between the two groups reaches as high as 7% for boys in maths. Although this is low by comparison with the corresponding gap at level 4, it is nonetheless significant. There is more about excellence gaps in maths below.

 

	Reading		GPS		Maths
	G	B	G	B	G	B
FSM	0	0	1	0	2	3
Non-FSM	1	0	2	1	6	9
Gap	1	0	1	1	4	6
Dis	0	0	1	0	2	3
Non-Dis	1	0	3	2	7	10
Gap	1	0	2	2	5	7

Schools achieving L6 success

Finally in this opening section, a comparison of schools achieving L6 success in the 2013 Primary School Performance Tables reveals different patterns for each test.

The table below shows how many schools secured different percentages of pupils at L6. The number of schools achieving 11-20% at L6 in the GPS test is over 20 times the number that achieved that outcome in reading. But over eight times more schools secured this outcome in maths than managed it in GPS.

No schools made it beyond 20% at L6 in reading and none pushed beyond 40% at L6 in GPS, but the outliers in maths managed well over 60% and even 70% returns.

	11-20%	21-30%	31-40%	41-50%	51-60%	61-70%	71-80%	Total
Reading	24							24
GPS	298	22	2					322
Maths	2521	531	106	25	0	1	2	3186

There is also some evidence of schools being successful in more than one test.

Amongst the small sample of 28 schools that secured 41% or more L6s in maths,  two also featured amongst the top 24 performers in reading and five amongst the top 24 performers in GSP.

The school with arguably the best record across all three tests is Christ Church Primary School in Hampstead, which secured 13% in reading, 21% in GPS and 46% in maths, from a KS2 cohort of 24. The FSM/Pupil Premium rates at the school are low but, nevertheless, this is an outstanding result.

The following sections look more closely at L6 test and teacher assessment results in each subject. Each section consists of a series of bullet points highlighting significant findings.

English

 

Reading Test

The evidence on performance on the L6 reading test is compromised to some extent by the tiny proportions of pupils that achieve it. However:

• 9,605 schools registered pupils for the 2013 L6 reading test, up 48% from 6,469 in 2012, and the number of pupils registered increased from 47,148 in 2012 to 73,118 in 2013, an increase of 55%.

• Of the 539,473 learners who undertook the 2013 KS2 reading tests, only 2,262 (about 0.42%) achieved L6. This figure includes some in independent schools; the comparable figure for state-funded schools only is 2,137, so 5.5% of L6s were secured in the independent sector.

• Of this first total – ie including pupils from independent schools – 1,670 were girls (0.63% of all girls who undertook the KS2 reading tests) and 592 were boys (0.21% of all boys who undertook the KS2 reading tests).

• These are significant improvements on the comparable 2012 figures which showed about 900 learners achieving L6, including 700 girls and 200 boys. (The figures were rounded in the SFR but the 2013 evaluation confirmed the actual number as 942). The overall percentage achieving L6 therefore increased by about 140% in 2013, compared with 2012. If we assume registration for L6 tests as a proxy for entry, this suggests that just over 3% of entrants passed in 2013.

• In state-funded schools only, the percentage of learners from a Chinese background entered for KS2 reading tests who achieved L6 reaches 2%, compared with 1% for those of mixed background and 0% for learners from white, Asian and black backgrounds.

• Amongst the defined sub-groups, learners of Irish, any other white, white and Asian and any other Asian backgrounds also make it to 1%. All the remainder are at 0%.

• The same is true of EAL learners and native English speakers, FSM-eligible and disadvantaged learners, making worthwhile comparisons almost impossible.

• The 2013 transition matrices show that 12% of learners who had achieved L4 at the end of KS1 went on to achieve L6, while 1% of those who had achieved L3 did so. Hence the vast majority of those at L4 in KS1 did not make two levels of progress.

• Progression data in the SFR shows that, of the 2,137 learners achieving L6 in state funded schools, 2,047 were at L3 or above at KS1, 77 were at L2A, 10 were at L2B and 3 were at L2C. Of the total population at KS1 L3 or above, 1.8% progressed to L6.

• Regional and local authority breakdowns are given only as percentages, of limited value for comparative purposes because they are so small. Only London and the South East record 1% at L6 overall, with all the remaining regions at 0%. Only one local authority – Richmond upon Thames – reaches 2%.

• However 1% of girls reach L6 in all regions apart from Yorkshire and Humberside and a few more authorities record 2% of girls at L6: Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, Richmond and Solihull.

• The 2013 Primary School Performance Tables show that some 12,700 schools recorded no learners achieving L6.

• At the other end of the spectrum, 36 schools recorded 10% or more of their KS2 cohort achieving L6. Four of these recorded 15% or higher:

Iford and Kingston C of E Primary School, East Sussex (19%; cohort of 21).

Emmanuel C of E Primary School, Camden (17%; cohort of 12).

Goosnargh Whitechapel Primary School, Lancashire (17%; cohort of 6).

High Beech  C of E VC Primary School, Essex (15%; cohort of 13).

Reading TA

There is relatively little data about teacher assessment outcomes.

• The total number of pupils in all schools achieving L6 in reading TA in 2013 is 15,864 from a cohort of 539,729 (2.94%). This is over seven times as many as achieved L6 in the comparable test (whereas in maths the figures are very similar). It would be useful to know how many pupils achieved L6 in TA, were entered for the test and did not succeed.

• The number of successful girls is 10,166 (3.85% of females assessed) and the number of boys achieving L6 is 5,698 (2.06% of males assessed). Hence the gap between girls and boys is far narrower on TA than it is on the corresponding test.

• Within the 2013 Performance Tables, eight schools recorded 50% or more of their pupils at L6, the top performer being Peppard Church of England Primary School, Oxfordshire, which reached 83% (five from a cohort of six).

 

Writing (including GPS)

 

GPS Test

The L6 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS) test was newly introduced in 2013. This is what we know from the published data:

• The number of schools that registered for the test was 7,870, almost 2,000 fewer than registered for the reading test. The number of pupil registrations was 61,883, over 12,000 fewer than for reading.

• The total number of successful learners is 8,606, from a total of 539,438 learners assessed at KS2, including those in independent schools taking the tests, giving an actual percentage of 1.6%. As far as I can establish, a comparable figure for state-funded schools is not available.

• As with reading, there are significant differences between boys and girls. There were 5,373 successful girls (2.04% of girls entered for KS2 GPS tests) and 3,233 successful boys (1.17% of boys entered for KS2 GPS). This imbalance in favour of girls is significant, but not nearly as pronounced as in the reading test.

• The proportion of pupil registrations for the L6 GPS test resulting in L6 success is around one in seven (13.9%) well over four times as high as for reading.

• The ethnic breakdown in state-funded schools shows that Chinese learners are again in the ascendancy. Overall, 7% of pupils from a Chinese background achieved L6, compared with 1% white, 2% mixed, 2% Asian and 1% black.

• Chart 3 below shows how L6 achievement in GPS varies between ethnic sub-groups. Indian pupils reach 4% while white and Asian pupils score 3%, as do pupils from any other Asian background.

Chart 3: 2013 GPS L6 performance by ethnic sub-groups

• When gender differences are taken into account, Chinese girls are at 8% (compared with boys at 7%), ahead of Indian girls at 5% (boys 3%), white and Asian girls at 4% (boys 3%) and any other Asian girls also at 4% (boys 3%). The ascendancy of Chinese girls over boys from any other ethnic background is particularly noteworthy and replicates the situation in maths (see below).

• Interestingly, EAL learners and learners with English as a native language both record 2% at L6. Although these figures are rounded, it suggests that exceptional performance in this aspect of English does not correlate with being a native speaker.

• FSM-eligible learners register 0%, compared with 2% for those not eligible. However, disadvantaged learners are at 1% and non-disadvantaged 2% (Disadvantaged boys are at 0% and non-disadvantaged girls at 3%). Without knowing the numbers involved we can draw few reliable conclusions from this data.

• Chart 4 below gives illustrates the regional breakdown for boys, girls and both genders. At regional level, London reaches 3% success overall, with both the South East and Eastern regions at 2% and all other regions at 1%. Girls record 2% in every region apart from the North West and Yorkshire and Humberside. Only in London do boys reach 2%.

 

Chart 4: 2013 L6 GPS outcomes by gender and region

• At local authority level the highest scoring are Richmond (7%); the Isles of Scilly (6%); Kingston and Sutton (5%); and Harrow, Hillingdon and Wokingham (4%).

• The School Performance Tables reveal that some 10,200 schools posted no L6 results while, at the other extreme, 34 schools recorded 20% or more of their KS2 cohort at L6 and 463 schools managed 10% or above. The best records were achieved by:

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Southwark (38%; cohort of 24).

The Vineyard School, Richmond  (38%; cohort of 56).

Cartmel C of E Primary School,  (29%; cohort of 7) and

Greystoke School, (29%; cohort of 7).

Writing TA

When it comes to teacher assessment:

• 8,410 learners from both state and independent schools out of a total of 539,732 assessed (1.56%) were judged to be at L6 in writing. The total figure for state-funded schools is 7,877 pupils. This is very close to the number successful in the L6 GPS test, even though the focus is somewhat different.

• Of these, 5,549 are girls (2.1% of the total cohort) and 2,861 boys (1.04% of the total cohort). Hence the imbalance in favour of girls is more pronounced in writing TA than in the GPS test, whereas the reverse is true for reading. 

• About 5% of learners from Chinese backgrounds achieve L6, as do 3% of white Asian and 3% of Irish pupils.

• The 2013 transition matrices record progression in writing TA, rather than in the GSP test. They show that 61% of those assessed at L4 at KS1 go on to achieve L6, so only 6 out of 10 are making the expected minimum two levels of progress. On the other hand, some 9% of those with KS1 L3 go on to achieve L6, as do 2% of those at L2A.

• The SFR provides further progression data – again based on the TA outcomes – for state-funded schools only. It shows us that one pupil working towards L1 at KS1 went on to achieve L6 at KS2, as did 11 at L1, 54 at L2C, 393 at L2B, 1,724 at L2A and 5,694 at L3 or above. Hence some pupils are making five or more levels of progress.

• The regional breakdown – this time including independent schools – gives the East Midlands, West Midlands, London and the South West at 2%, with all the rest at 1%. At local authority level, the best performers are: City of London at 10%; Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond at 5% and Windsor and Maidenhead at 4%.

• The Performance Tables record some 20 schools achieving success rates at 30% or higher, the top performing being Newton Farm Nursery, Infant and Junior School in Harrow which achieved 63% from a cohort of 30.

English TA

There is additionally a little information about pupils achieving L6 across the subject:

• The SFR confirms that 8,087 pupils (1.5%) were assessed at L6 in English, including 5,244 girls (1.99% of all girls entered) and 2,843 boys (1.03% of all boys entered). These figures are for all schools, including independent schools.

• There is a regional breakdown showing the East and West Midlands, London and the South West at 2%, with all the remainder at 1%. Amongst local authorities, the strongest performers are City of London (10%); and Bristol, Greenwich, Hackney, Richmond, Windsor and Maidenhead (4%). The exceptional performance of Bristol, Greenwich and Hackney is noteworthy.

• In the Performance Tables, 27 schools record 30% or more pupils at L6 across English, the top performer again being Newton Farm, at 60%.

Maths

L6 performance in maths is more common than in other tests and subjects and the higher percentages generated typically result in more meaningful comparisons.

• The number of school registrations for L6 maths in 2013 was 11,369, up almost 40% from 8,130 in 2012. The number of pupil registrations was 80,925, up some 45% from 55,809 in 2012.

• The number of successful pupils – in both independent and state schools – was 35,137 (6.51% of all entrants). The gender imbalance in reading and GPS is reversed, with 21,388 boys at this level (7.75% of males entered for the overall KS2 test) compared with 13,749 girls (5.22% of females entered for the test). The SFR gives a total for state-funded schools of 33,202 pupils, so some 5.5% of Level 6s were achieved in independent schools.

• Compared with 2012, the numbers of successful pupils has increased from 18,953. This represents an increase of 85%, not as huge as the increase for reading but a very substantial increase nevertheless. 

• The number of successful girls has risen by some 108% from 6,600 (rounded) and the number of successful boys by about 72%, from 12,400 (rounded), so the improvement in girls’ success is markedly larger than the corresponding improvement for boys.  

• Assuming L6 test registration as a proxy for entry, the success rate in 2013 is around 43.4%, massively better than for reading (3%) and GPS (13.9%). The corresponding success rate in 2012 was around 34%. (Slightly different results would be obtained if one used actual entry rates and passes for state schools only, but we do not have these figures for both years.)

• The breakdown in state-funded schools for the main ethnic groups by gender is illustrated by Chart 5 below. This shows how performance by boys and girls varies according to whether they are white ( W), mixed (M), Asian (A), black (B) or Chinese (C). It also compares the outcomes in 2012 and 2013. The superior performance of Chinese learners is evident, with Chinese boys reaching a staggering 35% success rate in 2013. As things stand, Chinese boys are almost nine times more likely to achieve L6 than black girls.

• Chart 5 also shows that none of the gender or ethnic patterns has changed between 2012 and 2013, but some groups are making faster progress, albeit from a low base. This is especially true of white girls, black boys and, to a slightly lesser extent, Asian girls.

• Chinese girls and boys have improved at roughly the same rate and black boys have progressed faster than black girls but, in the remaining three groups, girls are improving at a faster rate than boys.

Chart 5: L6 Maths test by main ethnic groups and gender

• Amongst sub-groups, not included on this table, the highest performing are: any other Asian background 15%, Indian 14%, white and Asian 11% and Irish 10%. Figures for Gypsy/Roma and any other white background are suppressed, while travellers of Irish heritage are at 0%, black Caribbean at 2% and any other black background at 3%. In these latter cases, the differential with Chinese performance is huge.

• EAL learners record a 7% success rate, compared with 6% for native English language speakers, an improvement on the level pegging recorded for GPS. This gap widens to 2% for boys – 9% versus 7% in favour of EAL, whereas for girls it is 1% – 6% versus 5% in favour of EAL. The advantage enjoyed by EAL learners was also evident in 2012.

• The table below shows the position for FSM and disadvantaged learners by gender, and how this has changed since 2012.

	FSM boys	Non FSM boys	Gap	Dis boys	Non dis boys	Gap
2012	1%	5%	4%	1%	6%	5%
2013	3%	9%	6%	3%	10%	7%
	FSM girls	Non FSM girls	Gap	Dis girls	Non dis girls	Gap
2012	1%	3%	2%	1%	3%	2%
2013	2%	6%	4%	2%	7%	5%
	FSM all	Non FSM all	Gap	Dis all	Non dis all	Gap
2012	1%	4%	3%	1%	4%	3%
2013	2%	7%	5%	2%	8%	6%

• This shows that the gap between FSM and non-FSM and between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged has grown – for boys, girls and the groups as a whole – between 2012 and 2013. All the gaps have increased by 2% or 3%, with higher gaps between disadvantaged and advantaged girls and for disadvantaged boys and girls together, compared with their more advantaged peers.

• The gaps are all between 2% and 7%, so not large compared with those lower down the attainment spectrum, but the fact that they are widening is a significant cause for concern, suggesting that Pupil Premium funding is not having an impact at L6 in maths.

• The Transition Matrices show that 89% of learners assessed at L4 in KS1 went on to achieve L6, while 26% of those with L3 at KS1 did so, as did 4% of those with L2A and 1% of those with L2B. Hence a noticeable minority is making four levels of progress.

• The progression data in the SFR, relating to state-funded schools, show that one pupil made it from W at KS1 to L6, while 8 had L1, 82 had 2C, 751 had 2B, 4,983 had 2A and 27,377 had L3. Once again, a small minority of learners is making four or five levels of progress.

• At regional level, the breakdown is: NE 6%, NW 6%, Y+H 5%, EM 6%, WM 6%, E 6%, London 9%, SE 7% and SW 6%. So London has a clear lead in respect of the proportion of its learners achieving L6.

• The local authorities leading the rankings are: City of London 24%, Richmond 19%, Isles of Scilly 17%, Harrow and Kingston 15%, Trafford and Sutton 14%. No real surprises there!

• The Performance Tables show 33 schools achieved 40% or higher on this measure. Eight schools were at 50% or above. The best performing schools were:

St Oswald’s C of E Aided Primary School, Cheshire West and Chester (75%; cohort 8)

St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green, Lancashire (71%; cohort 7)

Haselor School, Warwickshire (67%; cohort 6).

• Some of the schools achieving 50% were significantly larger, notably Bowdon C of E Primary School, Trafford, which had a KS2 cohort of 60.

Maths TA

The data available on maths TA is more limited:

• Including pupils at independent schools, a total of 33,668 were assessed at L6 in maths (6.24% of all KS2 candidates). This included 20,336 boys (7.37% of all male KS2 candidates) and 13,332 girls (5.06% of all female candidates). The number achieving L6 maths TA is slightly lower than the corresponding number achieving L6 in the test.

• The regional breakdown was as follows: NE 5%; NW 5%; Y+H 5%; EM 5%, WM 6%; E 6%, London 8%; SE 7%, SW 6%, so London’s ascendancy is not as significant as in the test. 

• The strongest local authority performers are: City of London 24%; Harrow and Richmond 15%; Sutton 14%; Trafford 13%; Solihull and Bromley 12%.

• In the Performance Tables, 63 schools recorded 40% or higher on this measure, 15 of them at 50% or higher. The top performer was St Oswald’s C of E Aided Primary School (see above) with 88%.

Science

Science data is confined to teacher assessment outcomes.

• A total of just 1,633 pupils achieved L6 in 2013, equivalent to 0.3% of the KS2 science cohort. Of these, 1,029 were boys (0.37%) and 604 were girls (0.23%), suggesting a gender imbalance broadly similar to that in maths.

• No regions and only a handful of local authorities recorded a success rate of 1%.

• In the Performance Tables, 31 schools managed 20% or higher and seven schools were above 30%. The best performing were:

Newton Farm (see above) (50%; cohort 30)

Hunsdon Junior Mixed and Infant School, Hertfordshire (40%; cohort 10)

Etchingham Church of England Primary School, East Sussex (38%; cohort 16)

St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Primary School Ampleforth, North Yorkshire (36%; cohort 14).

Conclusions

 

Key findings from this data analysis

I will not repeat again all of the significant points highlighted above, but these seem particularly worthy of attention and further analysis:

• The huge variation in success rates for the three L6 tests. The proportion of learners achieving L6 in the reading test is improving at a faster rate than in maths, but from a very low base. It remains unacceptably low, is significantly out of kilter with the TA results for L6 reading and – unless there has been a major improvement in 2014 – is likely to stay depressed for the limited remaining lifetime of the test.

• In the tests, 74% of those successful in reading are girls, 62% of those successful in GPS are girls and 61% of those successful in maths are boys. In reading there are also interesting disparities between gender distribution at L6 in the test and in teacher assessment. Can these differences be attributed solely to gender distinctions or is there significant gender-related underachievement at the top of the attainment distribution? If so, how can this be addressed? 

• There are also big variations in performance by ethnic background. Chinese learners in particular are hugely successful, especially in maths. In 2013, Chinese girls outscored significantly boys from all other backgrounds, while an astonishing 35% of Chinese boys achieved L6. This raises important questions about the distribution of high attainment, the incidence of underachievement and how the interaction between gender and ethnic background impacts on these.

• There are almost certainly significant excellence gaps in performance on all three tests (ie between advantaged and disadvantaged learners), though in reading and GPS these are masked by the absence of numerical data. In maths we can see that the gaps are not as large as those lower down the attainment spectrum, but they widened significantly in 2013 compared with 2012. This suggests that the impact of the Pupil Premium on the performance of the highest attainers from disadvantaged backgrounds is extremely limited.  What can and should be done to address this issue?

• EAL learners perform equally as well as their counterparts in the GPS test and even better in maths. This raises interesting questions about the relationship between language acquisition and mathematical performance and, even more intriguingly, the relationship between language acquisition and skill in manipulating language in its written form. Further analysis of why EAL learners are so successful may provide helpful clues that would improve L6 teaching for all learners.

• Schools are recording very different success rates in each of the tests. Some schools that secure very high L6 success rates in one test fail to do so in the others, but a handful of schools are strong performers across all three tests. We should know more than we do about the characteristics and practices of these highly successful schools.

Significant gaps in the data

A data portal to underpin the School Performance Tables is under construction. There have been indications that it will contain material about high attainers’ performance but, while levels continue to be used in the Tables, this should include comprehensive coverage of L6 performance, as well as addressing the achievement of high attainers as they are defined for Performance Table purposes (a much broader subset of learners).

Subject to the need to suppress small numbers for data protection purposes, the portal might reasonably include, in addition to the data currently available:

• For each test and TA, numbers of registrations, entries and successful pupils from FSM and disadvantaged backgrounds respectively, including analysis by gender and ethnic background, both separately and combined. All the data below should also be available for these subsets of the population.

• Registrations and entries for each L6 test, for every year in which the tests have been administered, showing separately rates for state-funded and all schools and rates for different types of state-funded school.

• Cross-referencing of L6 test and TA performance, to show how many learners are successful in one, the other and both – as well as how many learners achieve L6 on more than one test and/or TA and different combinations of assessments.

• Numbers of pupils successful in each test and TA by region and LA, as well as regional breakdowns of the data above and below.

• Trends in this data across all the years in which the tests and TA have been administered.

• The annual cost of developing and administering each of the L6 tests so we can make a judgement about value for money.

It would also be helpful to produce case studies of schools that are especially successful in maximising L6 performance, especially for under-represented groups.

 

The impact of the new tests pre- and post-2016

We do not yet know whether the announcement that L6 tests will disappear after 2015 has depressed registration, entry and success rates in 2014. This is more likely in 2015, since the 2014 registration deadline and the response to the primary assessment and accountability consultation were broadly co-terminous.

All the signs are that the accountability regime will continue to focus some attention on the performance of high attainers:

• Ofsted is placing renewed emphasis on the attainment and progress of the ‘most able’ in school inspection, though they have a broad conceptualisation of that term and may not necessarily highlight L6 achievement.

• From 2016, schools will be required to publish ‘the percentage of pupils who achieve a high score in all areas at the end of key stage 2.’ But we do not know whether this means publishing separately the percentage of pupils achieving high scores in each area, or only the percentage of pupils achieving high scores across all areas. Nor do we know what will count as a high score for these purposes.

• There were commitments in the original primary assessment and accountability consultation document to inclusion of measures in the Primary Performance Tables setting out:

‘How many of a school’s pupils are amongst the highest attaining nationally, by showing the percentage of pupils achieving a high scaled score in each subject.’

but these were not repeated in the consultation response.

In short, there are several unanswered questions and some cause to doubt the extent to which Level 6-equivalent performance will continue to be a priority. The removal of L6 tests could therefore reduce significantly the attention primary schools give to their highest attainers.

Moreover, questions remain over the suitability of the new tests for these highest attainers. These may possibly be overcome but there is considerable cause for concern.

It is quite conceivable that the test developers will not be able to accommodate effective assessment of L6 performance within single tests as planned.

If that is the case, the Government faces a choice between perpetuating separate tests, or the effective relegation of the assessment of the highest attainers to teacher assessment alone.

Such a decision would almost certainly need to be taken on this side of a General Election. But of course it need not be binding on the successor administration. Labour has made no commitments about support for high attainers, which suggests they will not be a priority for them should they form the next Government.

The recently published Assessment Principles are intended to underpin effective assessment systems within schools. They state that such systems:

‘Differentiate attainment between pupils of different abilities, giving early recognition of pupils who are falling behind and those who are excelling.’

This lends welcome support to the recommendations I offered to NAHT’s Commission on Assessment

But the national system for assessment and accountability has an equally strong responsibility to differentiate throughout the attainment spectrum and to recognise the achievement of those who excel.

As things stand, there must be some doubt whether it will do so.

Postscript

On 19 May 2014 two newspapers helpfully provided the entry figures for the 2014 L6 tests. These are included in the chart below.

It is clear that entries to all three tests held up well in 2014 and, as predicted, numbers have not yet been depressed as a consequence of the decision to drop L6 tests after 2015.

The corresponding figures for the numbers of schools entering learners for each test have not been released, so we do not know to what extent the increase is driven by new schools signing up, as opposed to schools with previous entries increasing the numbers they enter.

This additional information makes it easier to project approximate trends into 2015, so we shall be able to tell next year whether the change of assessment policy will cause entry rates to tail off.

• Entries for the L6 reading test were 49% up in 2013 and 36% up in 2014. Assuming the rate of increase in 2015 falls to 23% (ie again 13% down on the previous year), there would be some 117,000 entries in 2015.

• Entries for the L6 maths test were 41% up in 2013 and 36% up in 2014. Assuming the rate of increase in 2015 falls to 31% (ie again 5% down on the previous year), there would be around 139,000 entries in 2015.

• GPS is more problematic because we have only two years on which to base the trend. If we assume that the rate of increase in entries will fall somewhere between the rate for maths and the rate for reading in 2014 (their second year of operation) there would be somewhere between 126,000 and 133,000 entries in 2015 – so approximately 130,000 entries.

It is almost certainly a projection too far to estimate the 2014 pass rates on the basis of the 2014 entry rates, so I will resist the temptation. Nevertheless, we ought to expect continued improvement at broadly commensurate rates.

The press stories include a Government ‘line to take’ on the L6 tests.

In the Telegraph, this is:

‘Want to see every school stretching all their pupils and these figures show that primary schools have embraced the opportunity to stretch their brightest 11-year-olds.’

‘This is part of a package of measures – along with toughening up existing primary school tests, raising the bar and introducing higher floor standards – that will raise standards and help ensure all children arrive at secondary school ready to thrive.’

In the Mail it is:

‘We brought back these tests because we wanted to give teachers the chance to set high aspirations for pupils in literacy and numeracy.’

‘We want to see every school stretching all their pupils. These figures show that primary schools have embraced the opportunity to stretch their brightest 11-year-olds by  teaching them more demanding new material, in line with the new curriculum, and by entering them for the Level 6 test.’

There is additionally confirmation in the Telegraph article that ‘challenging material currently seen in the level 6 exams would be incorporated into all SATs tests’ when the new universal assessments are introduced, but nothing about the test development difficulties that this presents.

But each piece attributed this welcome statement to Mr Gove:

‘It is plain wrong to set a ceiling on the talents of the very brightest pupils and let them drift in class.’

‘Letting teachers offer level 6 tests means that the most talented children will be fully stretched and start secondary school razor sharp.’

Can we read into that a commitment to ensure that the new system – including curriculum, assessment, qualifications, accountability and (critically) Pupil Premium support for the disadvantaged – is designed in a joined up fashion to meet the needs of ‘the very brightest pupils’?

I wonder if Mr Hunt feels able to follow suit.

GP

May 2014