PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAGUE TABLES

6 December 2007

Commenting on the Primary School Achievement and Attainment Tables, Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said.

“The percentages of children achieving level 4 in the core subjects give lie to critics who say that primary school standards are falling.

“The shame is that these excellent results are hitched to a league table system which undermines a large number of successful schools.

“League tables are beyond repair. Attempts to modify league tables only serve to emphasise their unfairness. Many schools find themselves in the bizarre situation of having a good inspection report and an invidious position in the league tables.

“It is high time that the overlapping and contradictory system of tests, targets, tables and inspections was reviewed. We need a system which gives parents clear information without unfairly penalising schools”.