Keeping up – Pupils who fall behind in Key Stage 2

Keeping up – Pupils who fall behind in Key Stage 2 reports the findings of a small scale study focusing on pupils who are at risk of not converting a level 2 in English and mathematics at Key Stage 1 into a level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils achieving the national expectation of level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2 has increased significantly. In English, it has increased from 63% in 1997 to 79% in 2006; and in mathematics, it has increased from 58% in 1998 to 76% in 2006.
Keeping up – Pupils who fall behind in Key Stage 2 reports the findings of a small scale study focusing on pupils who are at risk of not converting a level 2 in English and mathematics at Key Stage 1 into a level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils achieving the national expectation of level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2 has increased significantly. In English, it has increased from 63% in 1997 to 79% in 2006; and in mathematics, it has increased from 58% in 1998 to 76% in 2006. However, even with equal access and despite everyone’s best efforts, children do not proceed or progress at the same rates. Many children who reach national expectations ( level 2) at Key Stage 1 are unable to maintain their progress during Key Stage 2 and in terms of the levels of attainment they achieve they slow down or even stall completely. This report presents the issues arising from a small scale investigation focusing on pupils who are at risk of not converting a level 2 in English and mathematics at Key Stage 1 into a level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2.

The report also includes practical recommendations for schools and teachers on how they can improve the performance of these pupils. A subsequent investigation will focus on level 3 to level 5 conversions during Key Stage 2. This report is the first publication of the Making Good Progress series, a series of reports investigating pupil progression at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4.

Click here to access the report.