100 per cent success for Simon Marks in Sats

Simon Marks Primary in Stoke Newington is this year’s top of the Jewish primary school tables after all its year-6 pupils reached the expected standard in literacy and numeracy.

The school was one of just 53 primaries — out of a total of 20,940 in England — which achieved a 100 per cent clean sweep in the annual spring tests.

Pupils sat tests in reading and maths, while their teachers evaluated their writing.

Simon Marks is one of the smallest Jewish schools in the country with just eight pupils taking their Sats this year.

Its headteacher Gulcan Metin said, “We are really proud of our year-6 outcomes in all subject areas. Our pupils are more than ready for their next stage in education.”

Perhaps the most striking figure is that in 27 of the 39 Jewish state primary schools, 70 per cent or more of pupils achieved the expected standard — well above the national average in the country of 61 per cent.

In six schools, including Simon Marks, 20 per cent or more of pupils achieved the higher level for reading, writing and maths.

At both Simon Marks and Beit Shvidler in Edgware, pupils on average received a higher-level mark (110 or above) for both maths and reading.

Pupils at Menorah Foundation in Edgware and Hasmonean in Hendon achieved on average a higher-level mark for reading, while those at the Independent Jewish Day School in Hendon did so for maths.

The Sats scores were published earlier this month by the Department for Education, which advised parents: “School performance data should be considered alongside a range of other information about the school, which could include looking at school websites, reading Ofsted reports, and speaking to the school directly. Conclusions should not be drawn on a single piece of data alone.”