WHY IS IT HARD TO RAISE STANDARDS?

We want every pupil to succeed in the core subjects and this is equally important for schools with attainment for floor and coasting measures higher than national averages at KS2. Progress thresholds for accountability are unpredictable; scores are not known until Y6 SATs are marked and pupils’ results are compared with others nationally. Slow progress in any year group, for one core subject, has knock-on effects to overall attainment in reading, writing and maths. National patterns of pupil achievement show some of the obstacles to raising standards. 

* Over KS2, boys make less progress in reading and writing on average with girls making less progress in maths.

* At KS1 and KS2, girls outperform boys in all core subjects except at the high standard in maths.

* At KS1, the largest gender gap is in writing with girls’ attainment well ahead of boys.

* The proportion of girls passing the Y1 phonics check has been higher than boys every year.

* In the EYFS, girls’ performance has been higher on all 17 early learning goals with the main gender gaps in reading and writing.

Don’t let the end of KS2 be the first time that pupils’ achievement across reading, writing and maths combined is checked. What proportion of each school cohort is meeting age expectations in all 3 subjects? 

HOW DO NATIONAL PATTERNS AFFECT YOUR SCHOOL?

How many pupils didn’t meet the KS2 expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined due to 1 weaker subject? How many pupils in other cohorts have 1 weaker subject and can it be addressed before the end of Y6?

Were there groups with lower KS2 progress scores for reading, writing or maths? Were there differences in progress scores by gender, or for pupils with low, middle or high prior attainment? Is it a recurring pattern?

For infant schools, review the proportion of children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at the end of KS1. How many children missed out due to one weaker subject? Most KS1 data reports only consider separate performance in each of the subjects.

Review attainment in all year groups by gender. Does it follow national patterns with girls’ attainment higher than boys on average? (Other than at the higher standard in maths.) Does Year 1 phonics data differ by gender?

What does EYFS profile data reveal? Were there differences by gender and term of birth? If gaps can be identified at an earlier age, school has longer to address any issues and raise standards

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO ADDRESS ISSUES?

* A continual focus on developing the quality of teaching is always the best way to raise standards - even if attainment is already high, it builds resilience for potential staffing changes or illness. Low attaining and disadvantaged pupil groups benefit the most from consistently good teaching.  Check pupils’ attainment across reading, writing and maths, possibly once a term, which could be part of pupil progress meetings. Look for:

* Pupils having one weaker subject which may lower their progress and motivation in that area as well as affecting performance across the curriculum.

* Several pupils in a class with lower attainment in the same subject may indicate an issue with the quality of teaching, time allocated to the subject, expectations or the curriculum.

* A number of pupils having a single weakness in either reading, writing or maths may mean that school doesn’t meet accountability measures at KS2. Intervening as soon as possible will help pupils and school!

This is not about updating a tracker more often. It is looking at assessment information already in place to see which pupils have different attainment in reading, writing and maths. Can gaps be addressed or narrowed?

Using school data: The performance of larger pupil groups is more meaningful. Breaking down data into smaller and smaller groups can lead to ineffective actions being planned. Often, there can be more differences in performance within a pupil group than between groups.

Use national patterns to check if school has cohorts which may have lower attainment or negative progress scores. For instance, consider targeting year groups where:

* There are high proportions of boys and / or children with summer births.

* A number of children have an uneven profile of attainment across the early learning goals, or there are pupils with differences in attainment between reading, writing and maths during KS1 and KS2. 

* Boys struggled with the ELG for reading and writing or they are not working at the expected standard in these subjects during KS1 and KS2.

* Girls working at a lower standard in maths than they are for reading and writing during KS1 or KS2; this has been linked to girls losing confidence in their ability at maths and slowing progress.

* Several more able pupils are working at a high standard in 2 core subjects which is very good – but it reduces their chance of reaching a high standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and risks negative progress scores in the weaker subject.

Check pupils are responding to feedback, possibly having dedicated time to act upon comments. Gaps in pupils’ understanding of an idea in reading, writing or maths need to be tackled quickly. If possible, teaching assistants should work with pupils in the afternoon when they have struggled with an activity in the morning.

High expectations are essential when pupils are applying reading, writing and maths across the curriculum.

Connections between subjects need to be made explicit for pupils. Examples of potential benefits:

* Better reading improves vocabulary for written work and comprehension of word problems in maths.

* Improvements in writing helps with structuring answers in reading comprehension and maths problems.

* Reasoning skills in maths helps with composing well-structured writing and answering questions about texts.

There will be challenges, particularly for pupils with specific learning difficulties who are making uneven progress across different subjects which may be difficult to change. There may be pupils with behaviour or attendance issues. Whatever the challenge, raising achievement has been shown to improve pupils’ motivation.

Remember: A pupil’s progress scores in all 3 subjects at Y6 are calculated from one prior attainment starting point; this is a ‘weighted’ average of their teacher assessments in (reading + writing) and maths at KS1. Achievement across the 3 subjects at KS1 is the basis for measuring progress over KS2!

Areas for improvement and praise from Ofsted reports:

* Ensure pupils capable of reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths at KS2 are enabled to do so.

* Ensure teaching challenges all pupils, so the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard is at least in line with national averages at KS1 and KS2.

* Leaders responded quickly to KS2 results in 2017 where reading and maths progress fell below writing. The school has already improved teaching strategies in reading and introduced a new maths scheme of work.

* Ensure teachers have high expectations and check on pupils’ learning regularly so they make rapid progress and close the gaps in learning.

* In 2017, progress in reading at KS2 was below writing and maths due to slower progress of boys and the most able pupils. Boys are responding well to initiatives such as rewards for regular reading. All pupils benefit from new reading resources and closer links with the local library.

* In 2017, no boys achieved the higher standard in writing at KS1 or KS2. New strategies to improve boys’ writing are having an impact by using a greater variety of writing techniques to reach the higher standard.

* Some boys said they found the writing process physically uncomfortable. Staff have addressed this by using programmes to help with holding and using a pen correctly and offering clubs to improve fine motor skills.