New map shines worrying light on Devon school standards

Pupils are performing lower than the national average

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Only around half of primary school pupils in Devon managed to meet reading, writing and maths standards in the last academic year. Official data shows that 60% of 11-year-olds across England made the grade in the three core subjects in 2023/24. That's higher than in the Devon council area where just 56% of children met each of the reading, writing and maths standards in their Key Stage 2 results - meaning means 44% fell short.

In Torbay , 59% of children met the standard. The figures in our region have been improving, however. The number of children meeting the standards in Devon was up from 55% a year earlier and from 54% in 2015/16 when the standards were first set.



In Torbay it was up from 51% in 2015/16. Across England as a whole, 60% of children met the expected standards. In Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight just 51% of kids met the reading, writing and maths standards.

Meanwhile, in Central Bedfordshire and Norfolk, only 52% of 11-year-olds met the standards. In Blackpool and Cumberland it was 53%, and in Wirral, Manchester and Oldham it was 54%. London dominates the list of places where the most pupils are meeting targets.

Three quarters (75%) of pupils in Richmond upon Thames met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths. That’s the highest ratio of any local authority in the country. Hammersmith and Fulham had the next highest ratio at 74%.

That’s followed by Hackney at 73%, Newham and Redbridge at 71% each, Kensington and Chelsea, Sutton and Waltham Forest at 71% each, and Tower Hamlets, Camden and Trafford at 70% each. Trafford has has the highest rates of pupils meeting standards outside of the capital, while neighbouring Manchester is amongst the lowest rates in the country..