Raising school standards
Raising standards in our schools and ensuring the best conditions for learning.
Patterns of attainment in reading and numeracy
These charts show results for all four personalised assessments: reading in English and Welsh, and two numeracy assessments.
- Progress is shown in months compared with learners in 2022 to 2023
- For example, +10 means learners made around 10 months more progress than learners in 2022 to 2023
- The data does not track the same learners over time
Attainment in numeracy and reading data explained
Description of numeracy procedural chart: Line charts showing progress in the numeracy procedural personalised assessment for Years 3, 6 and 9, compared to academic year 2022 to 2023. Progress declined between 2018 to 2019 and 2021 to 2022 for all three year groups. Progress then improved, although results in 2024 to 2025 were lower than in 2023 to 2024 for Years 3 and 6. Progress in 2024 to 2025 remained below 2018 to 2019 levels for all three year groups.
Description of numeracy reasoning chart: Line charts showing progress in the numeracy reasoning personalised assessment for Years 3, 6 and 9, compared to academic year 2022 to 2023. Changes over time were generally smaller than those seen in numeracy procedural assessment results. Between 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025, progress increased for Year 9, remained broadly unchanged for Year 6, and decreased for Year 3.
Description of reading English chart: Line charts showing progress in the English reading personalised assessment for Years 3, 6 and 9, compared to academic year 2022 to 2023. Progress generally declined between 2020 to 2021 and 2022 to 2023 before increasing again. Results in 2024 to 2025 were higher than in 2020 to 2021 for all three year groups.
Description of reading Welsh chart: Line charts showing progress in the Welsh reading personalised assessment for Years 3, 6 and 9, compared to academic year 2022 to 2023. Progress declined between 2020 to 2021 and 2022 to 2023 before increasing again for all three year groups. By 2024 to 2025, progress in Years 3 and 6 was higher than in 2020 to 2021, while progress in Year 9 remained below 2020 to 2021 levels.
Personalised assessments in reading and numeracy are online assessments designed to support the development of reading and numeracy skills.
- Reading assessments measure understanding of written text.
- Numeracy procedural assessments measure mathematical skills and calculations.
- Numeracy reasoning assessments measure how learners use mathematics to solve problems.
They are used in schools as one of a range of approaches to support learner progression as part of the Curriculum for Wales. Annual personalised assessments are mandatory for learners in Years 2 to 9 in maintained schools.
The assessments provide information about learners' reading and numeracy skills, helping schools to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
This data compares assessment results for learners in the same year group across different academic years. For example, it compares the results of Year 6 learners in the Numeracy (Procedural) assessment in each academic year from 2018 to 2024.
We use 2022 to 2023 as the reference year for all assessments so that results within each subject can be compared consistently over time.
View the patterns of attainment in reading and numeracy data.
School absence
These charts show school absence and persistent absence:
- School absence is the percentage of school sessions (half school days) missed.
- Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of school sessions.
The charts show trends in school absence and persistent absence for:
- all pupils
- pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM)
- pupils not eligible for free school meals
School absence data explained
Both measures increased between 2018/19 and 2022/23 before declining in later years. Across the period shown, pupils eligible for free school meals had higher rates of absence and persistent absence than other pupils.
Attendance data is recorded throughout the year in each school’s attendance register/management information system.
Welsh Government collects and publishes annual statutory attendance information every year from all maintained schools in Wales.
The data covers all statutory school-age pupils (pupils aged 5 to 15) and are accredited official statistics.
Official statistics on attendance in maintained schools has been published since the 1990s.
Why school standards matter
Schools play a vital role in giving children the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed throughout their lives. Regular attendance and strong skills contribute to better outcomes for learners.
Increased attendance and good learning outcomes can lead to positive outcomes for children and young people, such as:
- reaching their full potential and being supported to engage in learning through their literacy and numeracy skills.
- having the same opportunities to learn and succeed, whatever their background, reducing inequalities
- moving into education, work or training that is right for them
- gaining the skills and confidence needed for work and life in the future
Improving attendance, raising attainment and supporting high standards across schools helps ensure that all learners can do their best, develop the skills they need for the future, and supports a more prosperous Wales.
Attendance and attainment have been selected as key measures of progress because they are influenced by many of the factors that contribute to successful learning. Together, they will help to show whether improvements in schools across Wales are leading to better outcomes for children.
What we're doing to improve school standards and ensure the best conditions for learning
Improving educational standards and ensuring the best conditions for learning requires action across the whole education system. The Welsh Government is working on:
- expanding free school meals to reduce financial pressures that can affect attendance, well-being and engagement.
- supporting literacy and numeracy development through clearer expectations to give schools absolute clarity about what should be learned and when
- investing in workforce capacity and capability, wellbeing, and conditions through high quality professional learning, initial teacher education incentives and reducing workload
- investing in school buildings and facilities to create safe, inclusive and effective places to learn
- encouraging better information sharing between schools and with local authorities, to support consistent improvement and understand progress
- improving how education, health and wellbeing services work together to provide more timely and effective support for children and families