PRIMARY school pupils from East Hampshire have helped the county to achieve its best results in national tests. More then 28,000 seven and 11 year olds across the county were assessed and tested at Key Stage 1 and 2 this summer. The results, published by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), have revealed that Hampshire is not only beating the national average but is also flying high in the top half of the 150 local education authorities in England. At Key Stage 1, a record 88 per cent of pupils achieved level 2 in reading compared to 86 per cent last year and a national average of 85 per cent. Results for writing were up slightly from 85 per cent to 86 per cent, compared with 82 per cent nationally and maths results remained static at 93 per cent, compared with 91 per cent nationally. At Key Stage 2, provisional results show that 11 year olds are performing better than ever in English and maths, with 82 per cent and 78 per cent of pupils achieving the level 4 or above target for their age, compared to 80 per cent and 76 per cent last year. This year's figures are above the national average of 79 per cent and 75 per cent respectively. Science results rose slightly with 90 per cent of pupils reaching level 4 compared to 89 per cent last year. This compares with this year's national figure of 86 per cent. More able pupils are also performing better this year. 53 per cent of 11 year olds achieved level 5 in science, 34 per cent in maths and 30 per cent in English, compared to 47 per cent, 33 per cent and 30 per cent last year. Performance in local authorities across the country ranged from 66 per cent to 88 per cent in English, 63 per cent to 86 per cent in maths and 76 per cent to 96 per cent in science. David Kirk, the county councillor responsible for education, said: "It is always encouraging to see our standards rising and we have once again seen improvements across both key stages, achieving our highest results ever in many subject areas. "These successes are a testament to the commitment and partnership of pupils, parents, staff and governors, and they are to be congratulated for their efforts." Felicity Hindson, member for children's services, added: "My congratulations go to all pupils and teachers for these very good results and personal achievements which reflect the hard work and commitment being shown in our schools. "While Hampshire continues to achieve results above those nationally, including for our more able pupils, we will continue to strive to improve our results year on year." The government's schools minister Jacqui Smith congratulated teachers and children for their hard work. "The level of achievement for boys and girls in English and maths has never been higher," she said. "It shows that this government's unrelenting focus on the basics is paying off."
