Figures throughout the commentary within this section are based on calculations using unrounded data. These may differ from any calculations derived from the rounded figures in diagrams. Please find further breakdowns and the underlying data in the data catalogue for this publication.
The terms “following assessment” or “assessed” used throughout this section relates to the reading and maths tests and the writing teacher assessment used to assess pupils that are deemed to be at the level of the standard tests and teacher assessment. Pupils deemed to be below the standard of the national curriculum assessments in one or more subjects are assessed using pre-key stage standards and/or the engagement model. These are not being referenced here but for more detail see below.
Pupils that were assessed
3 in 10 pupils (29.4%) at the end of key stage 2 were assessed as not meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined) and 8.5% of pupils were not assessed in all 3 of the individual subjects (either because they were below the level of the assessment or for another reason). This year 189,339 pupils were assessed as not meeting the expected standard, and since the pandemic over 800,000 pupils have not met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths following assessment.
The diagram below helps to illustrate how achievement in the three individual subjects is combined into the headline metric of the ‘percentage of pupils that meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)’.
The Venn diagram shows the percentages of all eligible pupils who were assessed as meeting the expected standard for combinations of the three subjects. For example, 5.0% of pupils met the standard in reading and maths but not in writing and 3.1% of pupils met the standard in reading only. The centre of the diagram are the 62.1% of pupils that met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined).
The first box on the left outside of the Venn diagram shows that 8.5% of pupils were assessed in all 3 of the individual subjects and were assessed as not meeting the expected standard in all 3 subjects.
Pupils that were not assessed
On the right hand side, the boxes show that a total of 8.5% of pupils at the end of key stage 2 were not assessed in all 3 subjects (either because they were below the level of the assessment or for another reason). These pupils could still be meeting the standard for some subjects.
0.6% of pupils were not below the standard, but were not assessed or do not have a result in at least one subject for other reasons, for example, they were unable to access the test even with suitable access arrangements, had just arrived from a different education system, had a missing result, or an outcome was pending a maladministration case.
Working below the level of assessment
7.9% were working below the level of assessment in at least one subject and so did not take the test or the writing teacher assessment. This is where the school has deemed that the pupil is working below the overall standard of the assessments, such that a different assessment is required. These pupils could still be meeting the standard for some subjects.
The table below shows that 47% of the pupils in this group were only below the level of assessment in writing. 42% of pupils in this group were deemed to be below the level of assessment in all 3 subjects .
Of the 42% of pupils that were below the level of assessment in all 3 subjects, 85% were assessed using pre-key stage standards in all 3 subjects and 13% were assessed using the engagement model in all 3 subjects. The remainder used a combination of these alternate assessment methods.
In 2024, in state-funded schools, 82% of pupils that were working below the level of assessment in at least one subject had a special educational need.
Pupils that were below the level of assessment, broken down by subject, 2025
| Number of subjects that the pupil is working below the level of assessment in | Subjects working below the level of assessment | Pupil count | Pupil percent |
|---|
| 1 | Maths | 592 | 1% |
| 1 | Writing | 23,938 | 47% |
| 1 | Reading | 457 | 1% |
| 2 | Reading and Maths | 1,830 | 4% |
| 2 | Writing and Maths | 722 | 1% |
| 2 | Reading and Writing | 2,037 | 4% |
| 3 | Reading, Writing and Maths | 21,342 | 42% |
Trends over time
The percentage of pupils that were assessed as not meeting the standard in reading, writing and maths (combined) has reduced this year to 29.4% compared to 31.1% in 2024. The percentage of pupils working below the level of assessment in at least 1 subject was 5.2% prior to the pandemic in 2019, and has increased every year to 7.9% in 2025. This suggests that, whilst the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard has been increasing, increases in pupils working below the level of assessment are also driving the reduction in the percentage of pupils not meeting the standard in reading, writing and maths (combined) following assessment.
