Westbourne pupils are top of the class in maths and English

Latest research shows that a quarter of a million UK Year 6 pupils are set to enter secondary school without basic literacy and numeracy skills.

And only last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was warned that 275,000 11-year-olds were leaving primary education without the right level of skills.

But at the Broomhill independent school, research from GL Assessment, the national body responsible for measuring pupil performance, shows that 96 per cent of Year 6 pupils have reached ‘expected’ or ‘higher’ standard in maths and English.

Westbourne’s results also exceed Ministers’ targets to ensure that 90 per cent of children achieve the national curriculum standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of primary education by 2030.

A further, 59 per cent of Westbourne’s Year 6 pupils  achieved above the expected standard for maths and 48 per cent of the school’s Year 6 pupils achieved above the expected standard for English respectively.

Westbourne Head of Junior School Jon Clark said: “We are delighted to be able to equip our Year 6 pupils with vital numeracy and literacy skills, as they prepare for the next milestone in their education and the imminent move up to secondary school.

This comes against the backdrop of the pandemic and two-years of severe disruption to education for children up and down the country.

“We wish our Year 6’s the best of luck as they prepare for Senior School, however it isn’t luck that has prepared them for this important next step in their education.

“Our rigorous tracking system harnesses data effectively to facilitate classroom teaching whether this is stretching our pupils or providing appropriate support.

“This powerful combination delivered by our professional and diligent staff team and small class sizes, where we nurture each pupil individually in all core subjects, continues to pay significant dividends for our children.”