Pupils must all know times tables by age 11

EVERY child will be expected to know their times tables off by heart when they leave primary school as part of the Government’s “war on innumeracy”.

Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, today unveils plans to test 11-yearolds on their multiplication skills in new exams which will be introduced to all primary schools next year.

The tough tests – which will go up to and include the 12 times table – are intended to tackle the thousands of children who leave primary school without meeting the expected grade in maths every year and ensure teachers are focused on key skills, the minister said. Ms Morgan told The Sunday Telegraph she intends to hold schools to account for pupils who do not meet the standard.

The measures form part of a plan to return schools to traditional teaching methods and move them away from less rigorous learning styles introduced by Labour, a Conservative source said.

Ms Morgan said: “Maths is a non-negotiable part of a good education. Since 2010, we’ve seen record numbers of 11year-olds start secondary school with a good grasp of the three Rs. But some continue to struggle.

“That is why we are introducing a new check to ensure all pupils know their times tables by age 11. They will help teachers recognise those pupils at risk of falling behind and allow us to target those areas where children aren’t being given a fair shot to succeed.”

A pilot scheme will be rolled out to 3,000 youngsters in 80 primary schools this summer, before every school in the country adopts the policy a year later. Pupils will be asked to give timed responses to questions on the computerised tests, which will be scored instantly without the need for teachers to mark or check answers.

Schools where pupils consistently fail the tests will be monitored closely. Ms Morgan has previously called for pupils who fail primary school tests in maths and English to be made to re-sit them at secondary school.

Ministers hope the new computerbased test will also take pressure off teachers.

A source close to the Education Secretary said the plan was part of Ms Morgan’s ambition to “tackle the progressive education methods that spread under the last Labour government, which saw schools neglect traditional arithmetic and left many children arriving at secondary school unable to do even basic maths”.

The number of pupils reaching the expected standard in maths at the end of primary school has risen from 79 per cent in 2010 to 87 per cent last year. However, 74,000 children are still failing to meet the standard.

The results have led to concerns that pupils are being failed by poor primary schools and that they struggle to catch up when they move to secondary school, leading to weak GCSE results.

Nick Timothy, of the New Schools Network, said the new computerised tests were an important step in reversing a “tide of underperformance” to ensure pupils have “nailed down the basics before they move on to secondary school”.