National school tests show the performance of Bradford’s ten and 11-year-olds has dipped.

Bradford Council claims the statistics are skewed by last year’s data following the boycott of the Key Stage 2 tests by head teachers.

But the data, released by the Department for Education, put the local authority among the ten worst in the country for year-on-year decline in the percentage of pupils who achieved at least the expected Level 4 in both English and maths.

Three in every ten Bradford pupils failed to achieve the benchmark. In successive years, the proportion of pupils doing so has fallen from 73 per cent to 70 per cent.

The historic gap between the attainment of boys and girls has widened from four per cent to six per cent. Seventy-three per cent of girls achieved the benchmark compared to 67 per cent of boys in this year’s tests – 125 more girls than boys.

Results for 2010/11 mean Bradford continues to trail the average attainment in Yorkshire and nationally, while the percentage of pupils reaching at least Level 4 in English and maths has risen by three per cent, compared to four per cent nationally, since 2007.

Kath Tunstall, the Council’s strategic director for Children’s Services which has resumed full control over education services following the ending of the ten-year contract with Education Bradford, said: “The results are only indicative at the moment and will be confirmed later in the year. This means we do not have a full picture for the district. However, we are obviously concerned with this provisional picture at Key Stage 2 and recognise that significant improvement is needed.

“Raising educational outcomes is our highest priority. As the contract with Education Bradford has come to its end and we move forward with our new relationship with schools we want to build on the joint commitment to raise standards for all the children and young people in our district.

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