Further details on the National Curriculum tests can be found in the “National Curriculum” section.

The Results

This part of the Tables shows:

  • the number of pupils who were at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) and, therefore, eligible to take the tests in May 2010. All pupils - including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) - are eligible for assessment under the National Curriculum when they reach the end of KS2. Most pupils will be aged 11 by the end of the school year, but some may be older or younger
  • the number and percentage of eligible pupils (a) with statements of SEN or with SEN supported at School Action Plus; and (b) with SEN supported at School Action as at May 2010
  • the percentage of eligible pupils in each subject who achieved Level 4 or above in the English and mathematics tests
  • the percentage of eligible pupils in each subject who achieved Level 5 in the English and and mathematics tests
  • the Average Point Score (APS). The APS for a school provides a fuller picture of the KS2 achievements of pupils of all abilities. Two schools with similar percentages of pupils achieving Level 4 and above may have different APSs. The APS values the achievements of pupils below the Level 4 threshold, by taking account of whether pupils attain level 3 or not.
  • Progress measures.These show the percentage of pupils who make at least expected progress in English and separately in maths, between the end of KS1 and the end of KS2."Expected progress" is two National Curriculum levels of progress

Eligible pupils with SEN

The Tables show how many of the pupils eligible for KS2 assessment had SEN. Some of these pupils may not have taken the tests - because they were working below the level assessed by the tests, or because they were working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This will affect the school's overall results.

Level 4 or above and Level 5 at KS2

The Tables show the percentages of pupils achieving Level 4 or above and Level 5 in the KS2 tests for English and mathematics and the percentages achieving Level 4 and above In English and mathematics combined. Level 4 is the level expected of most 11 year olds. Level 5 means pupils are achieving beyond the expected level.

These percentages are based on all eligible pupils, including those who were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them and, therefore, did not achieve a result.

We include all eligible pupils in our calculations to ensure that the Tables give more comprehensive information about school performance.

Expected levels of school performance

The government assesses mainstream maintained primary schools’ performance against defined “floor standards”. Considered against these, a school would be seen as “underperforming” if its Key Stage 2 results are:

  • less than 60% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) achieving level 4 or above in English and maths; and
  • below average % of pupils at the end of KS2 making expected progress in English (national median = 87%); and
  • below average % of pupils at the end of KS2 making expected progress in maths (national median = 86%)

What a school's attainment measures tell you

National Curriculum tests measure pupils’ attainment against the levels set by the National Curriculum. They measure the extent to which pupils have the specific knowledge, skills and understanding which the National Curriculum expects pupils to have mastered in English and mathematics by the end of KS2.

The National Curriculum tests do not measure a pupil's general ability in other subject areas.

Measures of attainment, such as the proportion reaching Level 4 or above; the proportion reaching Level 5; and the average point score show the actual results achieved by the cohort of pupils who took their KS2 tests in 2010, i.e. the standards reached in the tests.

However, schools’ KS2 test results are largely affected by the prior attainment of their pupils (how well they did at KS1). Therefore, in comparing the effectiveness of two or more primary schools, it is best to also look at the percentage of pupils making expected progress in English and in maths, and the contextual value added measure which adjusts for differences in prior attainment.

If you do wish to compare school's KS2 results, bear in mind that small differences between school results are unlikely to be significant, particularly if the school's year group is small.

Percentage of pupils absent or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them

Some pupils were absent from school at the time the tests were taken in May 2010 (perhaps due to illness) and did not achieve a test level.

A very small number of pupils may be unable to access some, or all, of the tests, even with special arrangements. These pupils are assessed as working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This can happen if all, or part, of a test is not suitable for a pupil with particular special educational needs, though the tests are designed to cater for most pupils with SEN.

Each school's results at Level 4 or above and Level 5 are based on the results of all pupils at the end of KS2, including those who were absent on the day of the test or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. Because those pupils are included in the calculations but did not achieve a test level, they may disproportionately affect a school's results.

To help you take this into account, the percentage of eligible pupils who were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them is shown alongside the percentage achieving Level 4 or above and Level 5. The higher the percentage of those pupils, the more a school's results may have been affected by pupils with no test results.

Adjustments to the number of eligible pupils

The results of some schools have been adjusted.

Some schools requested that pupils recently admitted from overseas with little or no English be discounted from the figures. This is allowed where the pupil was admitted for the first time to an English school in the 2008/2009 or 2009/2010 school year from outside the United Kingdom, they arrived from overseas prior to their admission and their first language is not English.

The Government accepts that these pupils are unlikely to be able to show what they can do in the tests until they have improved their English language skills and are more familiar with the school curriculum in this country.