There remains a postcode lottery for reading and writing skills in England across the country for pupils in Year 6
Primary schools in London had the best Key Stage 2 results of any English region in the 2024/25 academic year. More than three quarters (68 per cent) of Year 6 pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths combined, according to the latest figures from the Department for Education.
That’s above the national average of 62 per cent and is higher than any other area of England. The North East and South East had the next highest proportions in the country at 61 per cent each, while in the East England and South West it was just 59 per cent, the lowest in the country.
s when it comes to the best performing local authorities. Both Hackney and Hammersmith and Fulham top the list with 76 per cent of pupils meeting expected standards in all three maths, reading and writing subjects.
In Richmond upon Thames it was 74 per cent of pupils, while in each of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, and Kensington and Chelsea it was 73 per cent.
Trafford had the highest rate of pupils meeting standards outside of the capital. Some 70 per cent of pupils met all three reading, writing and maths standards there. Neighbouring Manchester, however, is amongst the lowest rates in the country at 55 per cent.
There remains a postcode lottery for reading and writing skills in England across the country though, as new official figures show half of pupils are failing to meet standards in some parts of the country – find out how your area compares. The proportion of 11-year-olds reaching expected Key Stage 2 standards continued to improve this year, though are still behind pre-pandemic levels.
Figures from the Department for Education show nationally 62 per cent of Year 6 pupils in England made the grade in all three subjects in the 2024/25 academic year. That’s up slightly from 61 per cent in 2023/24 and 59 per cent in 2021/22, the first year assessments were made after the pandemic.
The proportion is still behind 2018/19 though, when 65 per cent of 11-year-olds met expected standards in all three subjects. Pupils in some parts of the country fared much worse than those elsewhere, local authority level figures show.
Only 50 per cent of children in the Central Bedfordshire council area met each of the reading, writing and maths standards in their Key Stage 2 results. In the Isle of Wight, the proportion was just 51 per cent. In Portsmouth, it was 53 per cent, in Cumberland and Derby it was 54 per cent, and in each of Norfolk, Sefton, Liverpool, Manchester, Dorset and Blackpool it was 55 per cent.
Percentage of Year 6 pupils meeting reading, writing and maths standards
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