educational correspondent(wp/es):
Almost 45 per cent of children are not meeting the required standards of success, a new report has found.
Up to 43 per cent of children leaving primary school have not met the expected levels of achievement in reading, writing and maths - a grade 4b or higher – at the end of Key Stage 2.
The analysis from CentreForum and Education DataLab also found 44 per cent of secondary school students are not obtaining five A* to C grade GCSEs.
The level of attainment has risen over the last decade, the report said, and recommends a new benchmark standard to which pupils can be held.
Changes to the GCSE grading system from 2017 will assess children on a scale ranging from a high of 1 to a low of 9, with a good pass to be considered a grade 5.
A grade 5 is said to be the equivalent of between a current B and C grade.
Within the new system, researchers estimate the percentage of children achieving a good pass will fall to 35 per cent in English and maths -a drop of 23 per cent.
Disadvantaged children are also closing the gap on other pupils in the classroom, the study found, shrinking as much as 30 per cent in Key Stage 2 since 2006.
But at secondary school, the achievement gap is equivalent to an average of one GCSE grade in each subject.
David Laws, executive chairman of CentreForum said: "Our analysis shows that attainment has risen and the disadvantaged gap - notably at the end of primary education - has fallen over the last decade. This is good news, but the report shows that there is no cause for complacency.
"Almost 45 per cent of children continue to fail to reach national benchmark standards, which are already lower than the standards reached in the best performing countries.
"We can also see from this report that while the disadvantaged gap has declined at each Key Stage, the gap still increases during a child's time in education.
"England needs to do much better if it is to become a world leader in giving real opportunity to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We welcome this report, which shows the stark choice we face in education today - either we prepare today's young people to compete with the best in the world or we don't.
"That's why we've taken the decision to set the new GCSE 'good pass' at the same level as other high-performing countries set their passmark.
"Every time we have raised the bar for schools and colleges they have risen to meet the challenge and we are confident that this is no exception." The spokeswoman added over time, more pupils are expected to reach the new higher standard and the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers will continue to narrow.
Almost 45 per cent of children are not meeting the required standards of success, a new report has found.
Up to 43 per cent of children leaving primary school have not met the expected levels of achievement in reading, writing and maths - a grade 4b or higher – at the end of Key Stage 2.
The analysis from CentreForum and Education DataLab also found 44 per cent of secondary school students are not obtaining five A* to C grade GCSEs.
The level of attainment has risen over the last decade, the report said, and recommends a new benchmark standard to which pupils can be held.
Changes to the GCSE grading system from 2017 will assess children on a scale ranging from a high of 1 to a low of 9, with a good pass to be considered a grade 5.
A grade 5 is said to be the equivalent of between a current B and C grade.
Within the new system, researchers estimate the percentage of children achieving a good pass will fall to 35 per cent in English and maths -a drop of 23 per cent.
Disadvantaged children are also closing the gap on other pupils in the classroom, the study found, shrinking as much as 30 per cent in Key Stage 2 since 2006.
But at secondary school, the achievement gap is equivalent to an average of one GCSE grade in each subject.
David Laws, executive chairman of CentreForum said: "Our analysis shows that attainment has risen and the disadvantaged gap - notably at the end of primary education - has fallen over the last decade. This is good news, but the report shows that there is no cause for complacency.
"Almost 45 per cent of children continue to fail to reach national benchmark standards, which are already lower than the standards reached in the best performing countries.
"We can also see from this report that while the disadvantaged gap has declined at each Key Stage, the gap still increases during a child's time in education.
"England needs to do much better if it is to become a world leader in giving real opportunity to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We welcome this report, which shows the stark choice we face in education today - either we prepare today's young people to compete with the best in the world or we don't.
"That's why we've taken the decision to set the new GCSE 'good pass' at the same level as other high-performing countries set their passmark.
"Every time we have raised the bar for schools and colleges they have risen to meet the challenge and we are confident that this is no exception." The spokeswoman added over time, more pupils are expected to reach the new higher standard and the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers will continue to narrow.
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