Schools Failing to reach numeracy and literacy targets
According to an article in Rapidonline, nearly 1,500 primary schools in England have failed to reach expected numeracy and literacy standards in (Sats).
The floor targets of 55 percent set by the government are for pupils to achieve level 4 in sats for mathematics and English by the time they leave primary school. This year 1472 schools did not meet that target. This is an increase from 1359 in 2008
On 4th December Ed Balls announced a National Challenge-style initiative to encourage those schools to improve the levels of numeracy and literacy among their 11-year-old students. More pressure is being put on local authorities to meet this challenge as Schools minister Diana Johnson stated that the government wants as many children as possible to leave primary education with a secure grasp of the basic skills in numeracy and literacy.