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Pupils score top class SATS marks

by Jennifer Williams
13/ 8/2008

STOCKPORT’S 11-year-olds are officially the brainiest in the North - and among the top in the country.

The borough’s Key Stage 2 pupils have scored the best SATS marks in the north of England, and the sixth highest nationwide.

The exams, taken nationwide by children in their last year at primary school earlier this summer, test children’s standards in reading, writing, maths and science.

Altogether 69 percent of Stockport youngsters reached Level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths, compared to 61 percent nationally, and up on last year.

For neighbouring Tameside that figure was 61, while for the region as a whole it was 62.

Only the Isles of Scilly, Richmond upon Thames, Rutland, Kensington and Chelsea and Solihull scored higher, all of them in the south of England or Midlands.

Councillor Mark Weldon, the Council’s executive member for children and young people, said: "We are extremely proud of these provisional results.

"We will continue to do everything we can to support schools to ensure that these results continue to improve even further. To have continued to show improvement and build on progress made in previous years is a tremendous effort and clearly shows that strategies put in place to improve performance in schools are working well. I would like to congratulate all the staff, governors, parents and children at Stockport primary schools for their fantastic achievements."

Key Stage 2 marks have been steadily increasing in Stockport year-on-year.

When broken down, the new government figures show that Stockport youngsters have improved across the board.  Marks in English, Maths and Science have all individually improved, both at Level 4 and at Level 5.

More Stockport children achieved the higher level 5 than ever before, with 16 percent of Stockport youngsters making the grade, compared with 12 percent nationally.

In fact the borough scored the highest in Greater Manchester at Level 5, the goal for top-achieving children working at a high level.