§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the decrease in the percentage of boys achieving level two and above 955W in writing tests at Key Stage 1 between 2002 and 2003, referred to in the Ofsted report on National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. [144376]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe following table shows the percentage of pupils achieving level 2 or above in the Key Stage 1 attainment tests since 1998, (split into girls, boys and all pupils):
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 All Reading 80 82 83 84 84 84 Writing 81 83 84 86 86 81 Spelling 66 71 72 75 78 — Maths 84 87 90 91 90 90 Boys Reading 75 78 79 80 81 80 Writing 76 78 80 82 82 76 Spelling 60 66 67 70 73 — Maths 83 85 89 90 89 89 Girls Reading 85 86 88 88 88 88 Writing 86 88 89 90 90 87 Spelling 72 77 77 80 83 — Maths 86 88 91 92 92 91 In 2003 significant changes were introduced to the assessment of writing at KS I. For the first time marks for spelling contributed to the pupils' overall writing level instead of separate level for spelling being reported. In addition there were changes to the format of the writing test and a new mark scheme was introduced. These new testing arrangements have produced a different distribution of marks and it is difficult to draw conclusions through comparisons with previous years' results. For example a larger proportion of pupils secured the higher levels in writing than in previous years. The percentage of all pupils achieving Level 2B or above in writing rose from 60 per cent. in 2002 to 62 per cent. in 2003; the percentage of boys achieving that level rose from 52 per cent. to 54 per cent. The percentage of all pupils at Level 3 rose from 9 per cent. in 2002 to 16 per cent. in 2003; the percentage of boys achieving that level rose from 7 per cent. to 11 per cent.
It remains a point of concern that boys' achievement in writing at K Sl, as at all Key Stages, lags behind that of girls, and the Primary Strategy will continue to support teachers in raising standards further. In spring 2004 new support materials will be offered on improving boys' writing. We will also be piloting the development and delivery of a specialist support package for early years practitioners so that they can begin to tackle the challenges faced by disadvantaged children as soon as they enter the Foundation Stage. A particular focus for the specialists will be to improve the speaking, listening and communication skills of these children.