Post-pandemic test results fall sharply for youngest pupils in England

Disadvantaged children fall further behind peers as teachers and parents call on Truss to boost school funding

Attainment among seven-year-olds in England has fallen sharply across all subjects in the first set of tests since before the pandemic, with disadvantaged children's results dropping even further behind, according to government data.

Results for this year's key stage 1 (KS1) tests show a significant decline in attainment in reading, maths and, most dramatically, writing, in which the proportion of year 2 pupils reaching the expected standard declined by 11 percentage points.