20 May 2003

Clarke spells out plans for primary pupils

In a speech to be delivered by Education Secretary Charles Clarke later today, the government will spell out its desire to maintain the current system of testing for primary school pupils and performance testing for schools.

Launching the government's primary document, 'Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools', Mr Clarke will tell the Institute of Civil Engineers that testing, targets and performance tables are "very much here to stay and play a vital role in raising standards".

Mr Clarke will also pledge to allow schools to develop their own targets to take account of individual pupils. He also set out plans for a trial from 2004 whereby the Key Stage 1 tasks and tests will underpin an overarching teacher judgement, rather than being reported separately. The government also said that schools would get credit for the performance of all pupils, including children working below the level of the tests, many of whom may have special educational needs.

Mr Clarke claimed that Labour reforms had seen 84,000 more 11-year-olds achieved maths targets last year. And around 60,000 more pupils, he said, made the grade last year in English than in 1998.

He added: "Primary schools are already in the lead on workforce reform and we want to develop this still further. In a recent survey we found that seven-out-of-10 schools has increased their use of support staff in the last three years, and a massive 97% of heads found the increase to have improved standards in teaching and learning. This means we're on the right track.

"I refuse to return to a school system that fails its children through lack of public accountability and proper monitoring. That is anathema to progress. What I want instead is to deliver a primary education of the highest quality to all children, and to see these children push forward and achieve their best, right through their education into their working lives. It is what they deserve and what we as a government owe to our future generations."

Commenting on the document, Eamonn O’Kane, General Secretary of NASUWT, said: “I regret that the government has not taken this opportunity to review the whole question of schools’ performance figures, the league tables, whose existence has placed so many schools under unfair pressure.

“However, allowing schools to set their own targets for achievement at Key Stage 2 will allow schools more flexibility and, hence, a greater degree of autonomy but it remains to be seen whether these targets will remain compatible with the government’s own aspirations for levels of achievement of 11-year-olds."

(GMcG)