Concern over falling standards

Provisional figures indicate a decline in Maths and English standards

The BBC has learnt that literacy and numeracy standards among some Northern Ireland second level students have worsened over the last four years, in spite of government programmes to improve pupils' performance.

The latest figures show a steady fall in the number of 14-year-old students achieving level five in English when they sit formal Key Stage Three tests.

Three years ago, 71% of students were at level five. In an answer to a written question from an Assembly member, the education department quoted a figure of just under 67% this year.

In Maths, 72 % reached level five in 1997 but since then there's been an almost continual decline to 66%.

SDLP MLA John Dallat: Wants answers on why standards are falling

This means that pupils appears to be moving away from targets set at 75% and 85% for English and Maths respectively by the government.

The Assembly member who put the question, John Dallat of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, has called for a full investigation.

Mr Dallat has said the provisional figures show that children are at risk.

"The investigation shows that apparently standards in literacy and numeracy are getting worse rather than better."

He is confident that the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Assembly Public Accounts Committee will be able to investigate how money is being spent on school improvement programmes.

"They will have the opportunity to quiz the chief executives in the department of education and library boards to establish what they have done with money and why they have produced results that appear to be getting worse rather than better."

A spokeswoman for the Irish National Teachers Organisation said teachers would feel "picked upon again" if the public perceived they were not teaching up to standard.

"We certainly don't feel that it is a reflection on the teaching that is going on within schools," said Nuala O'Donnell.

A spokesperson for the examinations council, the CCEA, described the maths result as a "temporary blip" and said the English result would be better than indicated by the provisional figures.