The government is standing by its targets

Figures published on Tuesday showed there was no change in the proportion of 11 year olds reaching the standard expected for their age in English or maths, at 75% and 73% respectively.

The results of this year's national curriculum tests, often called Sats, mean it is unlikely that 85% of 11 year olds will reach the expected standard by 2004, as required by the government.

We don't hide for a moment the fact that we would like to see faster progress David Miliband

The Conservatives and teachers' unions have called on the Department for Education to drop the targets, allowing schools to set their own.

But the School Standards Minister, David Miliband, said there was no question that the government would lower its aims.

"It would be easy for us to hide behind an easy target, but it wouldn't do any good either for young people or the country," said Mr Miliband.

He acknowledged the Department for Education was disappointed by the statistics.

"We don't hide for a moment the fact that we would like to see faster progress.

RESULTS TREND Tables of results

'Arbitrary targets'

Shadow Education Secretary, Damian Green, said the targets should be abolished.

"Tests are valuable to provide information to parents. But the government insists on creating arbitrary national targets which distort teaching priorities and do nothing to improve standards in schools," said Mr Green.

The Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, Phil Willis, said it was time for the government to rethink its position on tests and targets.

"It seems the wheels have finally come off the government's target-agenda for primary schools," said Mr Willis.

"Despite the distortion of the primary curriculum, booster classes and unacceptable pressure from testing, children can only achieve what they are capable of.

"Teachers must be allowed to spend more time diagnosing weaknesses and teaching appropriately. But above all, children must be given back their childhood," he said.

Test boycott

The National Union of Teachers could throw the tests into chaos next year if it goes ahead with a threatened ballot on whether to boycott them.

NUT General Secretary Doug McAvoy said the "mind-numbing annual ritual" of publishing the results of the national curriculum tests provided little information on the educational achievement of our children.

"It was inevitable that a plateau would be reached and that improvement in test results would not continue forever. The government should have recognised that reality before it plucked its targets out of the sky and imposed them on schools," said Mr McAvoy.

He said the system of targets, tests and performance tables was part of a "tired and pernicious" system.

"It is high time the government cleared away the damaging machinery of performance tables it inherited from the Conservatives and invested in assessment of pupils' achievement which supports rather than damages learning."

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the government's reliance on the literacy and numeracy strategies would not achieve the improvements it sought .

Mr Hart called on the government to give primary schools more money to help them raise standards.

	2000	2001	2002	2003	+/-
Key Stage 1 (age 7)
English
reading	83	84	84	84	0
writing	84	86	86	81	-5
Maths	90	91	90	90	0
Key Stage 2 (age 11)
English	75	75	75	75	0
reading	83	82	80	81	1
writing	55	57	60	60	0
Maths	72	71	73	73	0
Science	85	87	86	87	1
Key Stage 3 (age 14)
English	63	65	67	68	1
Maths	65	66	67	70	3
Science	59	66	67	68	1
Source: Department for Education and Skills

The table below shows the percentages of boys and girls achieving the expected level in national curriculum tests.

	Boys		Girls
	2002	2003	2002	2003	Gap *
Key Stage 1 (age 7)
English
reading	81	80	88	88	8
writing	82	76	90	87	11
Maths	89	89	92	91	2
Key Stage 2 (age 11)
English	70	70	79	80	10
reading	77	78	83	84	6
writing	52	52	68	69	17
Maths	73	73	73	72	-1
Science	86	86	87	87	1
Key Stage 3 (age 14)
English	59	61	76	75	14
Maths	67	69	68	72	3
Science	67	68	67	68
* The percentage points superiority of girls over boys
Source: Department for Education and Skills