Datawatch: Falling attainment in primary school leavers

Last month, concerning data revealed the damage lockdown had done to children. Data released today further illuminates the consequences of Covid restrictions. Figures released this morning by the Department for Education paint a worrying picture: attainment in children aged eight to 11 in five key areas – reading, maths, grammar, writing and science – have fallen drastically. The assessments found that only 59 per cent of children are meeting the expected standards in reading, writing and maths compared with 65 per cent before the pandemic.

The results are the lowest attainment scores since 2016. The only area which saw an improvement over the lockdown period was reading, which rose one percentage point to 74 per cent. In maths, those reaching the standard fell from 79 per cent to 71 per cent and in writing fell from 78 per cent to 69 per cent. The government’s target is for 90 per cent of children to finish primary school with the expected standard by the end of the decade. However, the schools minister said the results were ‘expected due to the impact of the pandemic’.

This data update appeared in today's edition of Lunchtime Espresso. Sign up here.