'Exceptional' results in Key Stage 3 for Shropshire schools

Shropshire schools are celebrating exceptional results in the latest Key Stage 3 achievement and attainment tables published today (Thursday 28 February).

The tables show outcomes from tests taken by 14-year-old pupils in English, mathematics and science in 2007. Education officers at Shropshire County Council said this was an exceptionally good year.

The key indictors are for the percentage of children who achieve the national target of Level 5 or above. Shropshire results are:

English 81 per cent - up four points from 2006 (national results have gone up by one point to 74 per cent).
Mathematics 81 per cent - down one point from 2006 (national results have also gone down by one point to 76 per cent).
Science 82 per cent - up two points from 2006 (national results have gone up by one point to 73 per cent).

Shropshire’s results are well above the national average, and the county council is well within the top 10 per cent of all councils. The county is 11th out of 149 councils in English, 14th in mathematics and 3rd in science.

Shropshire County Council is the highest-performing council in the West Midlands, and in its statistical neighbour group (the group of 11 other councils which are most similar and used as a comparison). Shropshire is also the best in the West Midlands in ‘value-added’ results, which allow fairer comparisons between schools with different pupil intakes.

Carol Tiddy, Acting Director of Children & Young People's Services at Shropshire County Council, said: "The results are a tribute to the hard work of Shropshire's students, their excellent teaching and the support they receive from their parents and carers. A statistic that we are particularly proud of is how few of our children are left behind. We have no school that has fallen below the national baseline for performance, and we are in the top 5 per cent for the fewest number of children who do not reach the target of Level 4 or above."

Councillor Ann Hartley, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This is excellent news, and I would like to congratulate pupils, parents and teaching staff on these exceptional results.”

28 February 2008