MORE than a thousand children starting secondary school this year in Cheshire West and Chester finished primary education without meeting the Government standard, according to the Department for Education.

Key Stage 2 results for the 11-year-olds who took their SATs in May show that 37 per cent did not achieve the required score in all their tests - 1,416 children in all.

That’s an attainment rate of 63per cent - just below the England average of 64 per cent.

This year, 3,826 year 6 pupils took the tests, which are intended to measure how well a child is doing in three key subjects - reading, mathematics, and grammar.

They are also used to evaluate how well primary schools are preparing their pupils for secondary school.

Girls did slightly better than boys, with 67 per cent of girls meeting the standard compared to 59 per cent of boys.

But campaign group More than a Score says that schools looking to climb league tables focus too much on high SAT scores, and that SATs have “failed a generation of children”.

It says that younger children, who can get anxious taking a test, should be assessed in a less stressful way.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury agrees. He said: “Being the father of a school age child there’s too much testing of children in my opinion, and while I recognise the need for children to have a great education.

“I would like to see our children be able to enjoy their childhood without the pressure of too much testing.”

Children did much better in KS2 teacher assessments than in the tests.