PUPILS ARE GRAMMAR’S NEW GURUS
Children score highly in key tests
ALMOST 13,000 pupils left the region’s primary schools this summer with a firm grasp of grammar rules.
The league tables have revealed 78 per cent of Staffordshire pupils, 74 per cent of Potteries youngsters, and 82 per cent of Cheshire East children reached the national standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling tests in 2018.
To do well, they have to understand the nuts and bolts of the English language and also master some tricky concepts.
The curriculum for Year 6 pupils covers nine different tenses. Pupils are also expected to be au fait with using nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. And some of the questions in SATS assess their knowledge of techniques such as passive and active voice.
This year, results have risen by one per cent in South Cheshire and Stoke-ontrent, but have stayed steady in Staffordshire.
Hugo Meynell CE Primary, in Loggerheads, has been crowned the region’s grammar and spelling champion. Eighty-three per cent of its pupils reached the higher standard in the tests.
But Waterside Primary, in Hanley, was not far behind, with an impressive 80 per cent of its children achieving well above average scores.
In the Moorlands, the top performing school for grammar skills is Great Wood Community Primary in Upper Tean.
Executive principal Jared Eccles said: “We’ve had some fantastic results. They are a testament to the hard work and positive attitudes of the children. It’s about giving them confidence and having a consistent approach.”
At Great Wood, 67 per cent of pupils gained the higher standard in the tests.
It’s down to a team effort, with parents also being invited into school to attend workshops. “We’ve talked to them about strategies they can use to support the children at home,” added Mr Eccles.
Other schools doing particularly well in the tests include Eaton Park Academy, Whitfield Valley Primary Academy, in Fegg Hayes, and Baddeley Green’s Hillside Primary School. Six out of 10 of their pupils were classed as working in greater depth.
At St Margaret’s CE Junior School, in Wolstanton, literacy work is enriched through drama sessions and trips to the theatre and cinema. The visits relate to the texts that pupils have been studying in class.
Headteacher David Hugill said: “We embed grammar, punctuation and spelling into reading and writing lessons so that our children acquire a range of skills over time.
“In this way, they build their understanding of key terminology by applying it in exciting and memorable learning opportunities.”
More than half the Year 6 pupils at St Margaret’s achieved the higher standard in grammar this year.
Nationally, 78 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard and a third achieved the higher level.