Fewer female primary school pupils met the expected standard in reading in this year’s Sats exams than last year, figures show.
The attainment gap between girls and boys in reading at Key Stage 2 narrowed this year, according to the latest Department for Education (DfE) statistics.
A detailed breakdown of the Key Stage 2 Sats results, which assess pupils’ attainment in literacy and maths by the end of Year 6 in schools in England, suggests that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed slightly – but it is still larger than before the pandemic.
Overall, 73% of Year 6 pupils in England achieved the expected standard in reading, down from 75% in 2022.
Girls continue to outperform boys, but the latest figures show that 76% of girls met the expected standard in reading this year, down from 80% last year.
The proportion of boys meeting the expected standard in reading was unchanged at 70%.
It comes after parents and teachers complained that this year’s Sats reading paper was too difficult, with reports that some staff struggled to understand the questions and some children were reduced to tears.
Figures, released in July, showed that 59% of pupils met the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths this year – the same as last year. In 2019, 65% achieved the expected standard in all three areas.
