Primary schools in Nottingham are making great strides in ensuring children get the best start to their education.

New figures show that pupils make good progress from Foundation to Key Stage 2 in Year 6.  They start Foundation well below the national average for reading, writing and maths, but by Year 6 they have narrowed the gap – especially in Maths. By the end of KS2, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged is smaller than the national gap in all subjects.

  • At the end of KS2, 76% of pupils achieved level 4 or above in all of reading, writing and mathematics. Nationally this is 79%.
  • For disadvantaged pupils (free school meals), the number is 64% which is the same as the national average

Cllr Sam Webster, Executive Assistant for Schools at Nottingham City Council, said: “Primary schools in Nottingham are making great strides in ensuring our children get the best start to their education.

“I’m pleased that these latest figures show the excellent progress being made by children as they move from Foundation up to Year Six. Pupils from poorer backgrounds start school well below the national average for reading and writing, but make rapid progress to catch up – and are exceeding the national average in the progress they make. This improvement is testament to the hard work and dedication of our teachers and school leaders, who ensure that pupils get the right level of support and guidance.

“We acknowledge that we still have a way to go: Nottingham is below the national average for attainment in primary schools; but we are narrowing the gap and will continue to work with schools to ensure that Nottingham children are at the highest possible standard ready to move on to secondary education.”