Quick-fire questions to test maths

Mental arithmetic tests for all pupils have been announced by ministers as part of a revised school-testing regime.

In future, all 11 and 14-year-olds may have to answer a series of quick- fire questions as part of their national curriculum maths tests.

At the same time, English tests for seven, 11 and 14-year-olds will have a new emphasis on basic literacy, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Controversial Shakespeare tests for 14-year-olds will continue despite protests from English teachers.

In future, parents will receive children's test results as standardised scores set against a national average. In the past, they have simply been told which broad curriculum level their child has reached.

The changes form part of a drive to emphasise the basics of literacy and numeracy at all ages.

Details of the new mental arithmetic tests have not yet been determined, but the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority has been asked to consider whether they could help to measure children's mathematical abilities.

The tests would be based on simple sums which children should know by heart, and could possibly last 15 to 20 minutes. For example, the teacher might ask pupils to write down the answer to seven times nine, giving them just a few seconds to complete the task.

Mental arithmetic is emphasised in experimental maths courses in the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, which have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Gillian Shephard, the Secretary of State for Education, and Chris Woodhead, the Chief Inspector of schools, have both visited Barking to look at the scheme.

Calculators are also to be withdrawn from one of the existing maths tests for 14-year-olds, bringing them into line with this year's 11-year-olds' tests.

Making the announcement about next year's tests, education minister Lord Henley said: "This package of reforms will bring extra focus to basic literacy and numeracy, increase rigour and provide more help for schools.

"These reforms are good news for teachers and parents. They will further refine and improve the assessment regime for 1997 and beyond."

A Labour spokesman said the Government was "again catching up with Labour policy".

"Ministers still have to tell us when they will intend to introduce another Labour idea, baseline assessment at the start of school, so that schools can bring in year-on-year targets for improvement for children from the start of primary education," he said.

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the Government's response to the review of tests and assessment was welcome.

He said teachers would be pleased at the central position, which would be retained for teachers' own assessment of their pupils. But he said confirmation that the Government would publish league tables of 11-year- olds' tests results next year would spoil a previously fruitful relationship with teachers, parents and governors.

5 Teachers are given five to 10 days' notice for a hearing when dismissal proceedings are launched, and not five to 10 days' notice of dismissal, as stated in the Independent on Tuesday, 2 July.