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2 August 2011
Last updated at 05:26 ET
By Katherine Sellgren
Education reporter, BBC News
The number of children leaving primary school in England with a good grasp of reading, writing and maths has increased again, government data shows.
Official data shows 67% of 11-year-olds gained at least a Level 4, the expected level, in these subjects in national curriculum tests, known as Sats.
Last year 64% of pupils left primary school having reached this level.
But one in three youngsters still failed to achieve the level expected of them in all three subjects.
This means that nearly 183,000 pupils left school without a good grasp of reading, writing and maths this summer.
Improvement The figures released on Tuesday show a steady year-on-year rise, with 62% of pupils reaching the expected level in the "three Rs" in 2009 and 2008.
Overall, the figures from the Department for Education (DfE) results show 84% of pupils reached Level 4 in reading, up from 83% last year.
In writing, 75% reached the expected level, compared with 71% in 2010. The biggest rise in some years.
In total, 81% achieved Level 4 in English (made up of the reading and writing tests), up from 80% last year.
And 80% achieved the expected level in maths, against 79% the year before.
But the data also shows one in 10 boys - almost 28,000 youngsters - left primary with the reading age of a seven-year-old (level 2 or less).
This compares with 5% of girls, just over 13,000 pupils.
The DfE also published results of science tests taken by a sample of 11-year-olds.
Based on this sample, it is estimated that 84% of 11-year-olds are reaching the expected level in science.
Raise standards Schools Minister Nick Gibb welcomed the rise in results, especially in writing but he said a third of children were still struggling in the "three Rs".
He said: "There has been a decline in the proportion of children - both boys and girls - who can read and write beyond the expected level. And the results of our weakest readers and writers also remain a real concern.
"We are determined to raise standards of reading. There will always be some children for whom reading is a struggle.
"However, we can and must do much better for the one in 10 boys who at the age of 11 can read no better than a seven-year-old."
Sats are taken by pupils in their final year of primary school and are fiercely opposed by teaching unions.
Last year the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Union of Teachers were involved in a boycott of the tests.
They say the tests do not give a true picture of pupils' attainment, encourage teaching to the test and put pupils under undue pressure.
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Official data shows 67% of 11-year-olds gained at least a Level 4, the expected level, in these subjects in national curriculum tests, known as Sats.
Last year 64% of pupils left primary school having reached this level.
But one in three youngsters still failed to achieve the level expected of them in all three subjects.
This means that nearly 183,000 pupils left school without a good grasp of reading, writing and maths this summer.
Improvement The figures released on Tuesday show a steady year-on-year rise, with 62% of pupils reaching the expected level in the "three Rs" in 2009 and 2008.
Overall, the figures from the Department for Education (DfE) results show 84% of pupils reached Level 4 in reading, up from 83% last year.
In writing, 75% reached the expected level, compared with 71% in 2010. The biggest rise in some years.
In total, 81% achieved Level 4 in English (made up of the reading and writing tests), up from 80% last year.
And 80% achieved the expected level in maths, against 79% the year before.
But the data also shows one in 10 boys - almost 28,000 youngsters - left primary with the reading age of a seven-year-old (level 2 or less).
This compares with 5% of girls, just over 13,000 pupils.
The DfE also published results of science tests taken by a sample of 11-year-olds.
Based on this sample, it is estimated that 84% of 11-year-olds are reaching the expected level in science.
Raise standards Schools Minister Nick Gibb welcomed the rise in results, especially in writing but he said a third of children were still struggling in the "three Rs".
He said: "There has been a decline in the proportion of children - both boys and girls - who can read and write beyond the expected level. And the results of our weakest readers and writers also remain a real concern.
"We are determined to raise standards of reading. There will always be some children for whom reading is a struggle.
"However, we can and must do much better for the one in 10 boys who at the age of 11 can read no better than a seven-year-old."
Sats are taken by pupils in their final year of primary school and are fiercely opposed by teaching unions.
Last year the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Union of Teachers were involved in a boycott of the tests.
They say the tests do not give a true picture of pupils' attainment, encourage teaching to the test and put pupils under undue pressure.
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