Primary school pupils in Nottingham are heading for the top of the class after flying up the national league tables for their work.
The youngsters from Key Stage 2, aged between 7 and 11, have made huge strides in their Progress scores – which are measured by the Department for Education – moving Nottingham up 27 league places in both reading and writing.
Progress aims to capture the educational achievement that pupils make through their junior years and up until the time they leave primary school.
The scores are a ‘value added’ measure which compares pupils with their peers across the country who have similar attainment levels from infant school. This means schools are rewarded for the progress that pupils make regardless of whether they are low, middle or high achievers academically. Any increase in attainment by each pupil is reflected in the school’s Progress scores.
Nottingham City has moved up 27 league places in both reading and writing – from 80th place to 53rd in the former and from 64th place to 37th in the latter. In maths, Nottingham pupils have climbed 13 places from 48th place to 35th. These are out of 152 local authority areas around the country.
Councillor Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Business, Education and Skills at Nottingham City Council, said: “I’d like to congratulate pupils for their achievement and hard work, while paying tribute to the support of their teachers, school support staff, parents and carers.
“What these figures show is that when compared to their peers nationally, our children are making excellent progress in the three key areas of reading, writing and maths. They are clearly making great strides during those important years in primary school.
“What we need to do now is work collectively to ensure that this same level of progress is sustained in secondary schools and, ultimately, translates into better GCSE results. We have a lot of work to do in this area as a city.”
Councillor Webster added: “This news comes hot on the heels of the recently-issued Ofsted national report, which confirmed that Nottingham has the highest proportion of Outstanding-rated schools in the East Midlands – with close to 90% now rated either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.
“We have a lot to be proud of in the city and we must continue to work together – the council, schools and partner organisations with ambition for our children.”