200,000 pupils 'failing three Rs'

Official statistics will be published on Thursday

Saturday, 01, Dec 2007 12:00

A total of 240,000 primary school students are unable to meet benchmarks for reading, writing and arithmetic, a newspaper report claims.

The Daily Telegraph cites official government statistics due next week showing that 40 per cent of ten-year-old pupils had failed to achieve standards for the three Rs in national tests this year.

While there have been improvements in achievement in individual subjects, only 60 per cent of students succeeded in all three core subjects.

The statistics are expected to show a one percent increase in the number of pupils meeting standards in English, mathematics and science compared to last year.

But according to the figures seen by the Telegraph, 20 per cent of students taking English, 23 per cent of those studying mathematics and 13 per cent of science students were unable to meet the government's mark for achievement.

It also reports that there had been no improvements in the number of students meeting targets in reading and writing levels over the past year.

The report into the results of examinations in English, maths and science taken by 600,000 children this year is due to be published on Thursday alongside league tables showing the country's top schools.