Sunderland schools celebrate fantastic Key Stage 2 results

The number of Year 6 children who scooped the expected combined level of reading, writing and maths was 61%, which was well above the national average of 53%.

Among the schools celebrating is St Paul’s CE Primary School, which topped the poll in Sunderland.

The school, in Waterworks Road, saw an outstanding 96% of the Year 6 children pass the combined expected level in reading, writing and maths.

And, individually, 100% of children clinched the expected level in reading, 96% in writing and 100% in maths.

Natalie Fountain, headteacher at the Wearside primary, said: “Everyone is thrilled with the results and our pupils are fantastic.

“It is magnificent news and demonstrates the hard work and dedication of pupils, staff and supportive parents.

“All schools have worked extra hard this year given the increased expectations of the new tests and national curriculum, so we are hugely proud of all of their achievements.

“We believe our success stems from our rich curriculum, which instills a passion for learning and will serve the pupils of St Paul’s CE Primary School well in the next phase of their education.

“A great team effort which really does prove that ‘Something special happens here’.”

To find out how your school did, view the table in full here.

Coun Louise Farthing, Cabinet Holder for Children’s Services at Sunderland City Council, said: “I am proud of our schools and how they have supported our children to achieve this above national average results at a difficult time when the curriculum had radically changed to an age related system.

“With changes to how tests are taken and how results are arrived at, it’s not possible to make year-on-year comparisons.

“What we can see however, is that 61% of Sunderland children taking their Key Stage 2 achieved the scaled score, and that we are above the national and regional averages.

“As a council and as a city, we have to ensure that everyone is working together to ensure all children achieve their full potential.”

Sunderland was among the top 25 of all English local authorities in national curriculum assessments at Key Stage 2 and the region continues to be one of the best performing outside of London, despite receiving much less funding than schools in the capital.

SCHOOLS NorthEast, the representative body for all 1,250 schools in the region, praised primary schools for managing a turbulent year in which the Government made major curriculum and assessment changes.

A total of 57% of North East pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to 53% nationally.

Mike Parker, director of SCHOOLS NorthEast, said: “Leaders and staff in primary schools across the North East have worked phenomenally hard in what has been an incredibly turbulent year.

“The Government has demanded huge change in the expectations on pupils and they have met that challenge head on.

“Our primary schools get half the funding their London counterparts receive, and yet they are achieving results virtually on a par. They deserve tremendous recognition for this achievement.”

But, Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “This data is not worth the paper it is written on.

“This year, we saw the SATs system descend into chaos and confusion. Delayed and obscure guidance, papers leaked online, mistakes in test papers and inconsistent moderation made this year unmanageable for school leaders, teachers, parents and pupils.

“The data gathered in primary assessment during 2016 is misleading. We warned the Government that publishing this data in league tables could lead the public and parents to make poor judgments about a school’s performance, but it has still chosen to do so.”

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said of the results: “Many schools have responded well to this more rigorous curriculum.”