Officially, this means they can spell properly, start to use grammatically complex sentences and employ joined up handwriting in English. In maths, they should be able to multiply and divide whole numbers by 10 or 100 and be able to use simple fractions and percentages.
Pupils exceeding this standard are awarded a higher Level 5.
Data for individual schools also shows three other measures: average points score, value-added and pupil progress.
Average points score is calculated by assigning each level a certain number of points – L2 or below is 15, L3 is 21, L4 is 27, L5 is 33 and L6 is 39. Totals are then divided by the number of pupils sitting the tests to provide an average.
The pupil progress measure shows the proportion of children making the recommended strides between the age of seven and 11. Pupils are supposed to reach Level 2 in assessments taken at seven and proceed to Level 4 by 11. Pupils gaining the lower Level 1 at the age of seven should reach Level 3 at the end of primary school. Those gaining a higher Level 3 at the age of seven should reach Level 5 by 11.
Value-added also measures the progress pupils make between seven and 11 – but weights results according to a series of influences such as the number of children with special needs and those eligible for free meals. Schools with a score below 100 are performing below average while those above 100 are exceeding the norm.
Schools with no data are excluded from the tables for several reasons, including: small numbers of pupils (which risks an individual pupil’s results being identified); investigations into maladministration of tests; no pupils at Key Stage 2 level; or for other reasons beyond the school's control.
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