Slight rise in primary pupils meeting expected standards

THE proportion of Year 6 pupils in England who met the expected standard in this year’s Sats exams has risen, but it is still below pre-pandemic levels, official statistics show.

- By ELEANOR BUSY

The Key Stage 2 results showed 62 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined this summer, up from 61 per cent last year.

In 2019, 65 per cent of pupils met the standard, according to the provisional Department for Education (DfE) data.

In individual subjects, scores were higher than last year.

In total, 75 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, up from 74 per cent in 2024.

In writing, 72 per cent of pupils met the expected standard, an increase of 0.5 percentage points on last year.

In grammar, punctuation and spelling, 73 per cent of pupils met the expected standard, up from 72 per cent.

Overall, 82 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in science, up from 81 per cent, and 74 per cent met the expected standard in maths, up from 73 per cent.

The DfE said these pupils experienced disruption to their learning during the pandemic, particularly at the end of Year 1 and in Year 2.

Attainment in all subjects, other than reading, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, it added.

The figures come after education unions have raised concerns about the statutory tests in primary schools as they fear they are too “high-pressure”.

Currently, pupils in England sit Sats in the summer of Year 6 and these results are often used in holding primary schools to account.