Major improvement in primary schools Maths and English reading for first time in 30 years – O’Reilly

“The independent Educational Research Centre assessed over 8,000 pupils in 150 primary schools and found a marked improvement in Mathematics and English reading skills for the first time since 1980. This is very much to be welcomed” says Joe O’Reilly, Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan.

“Overall performance in reading and Maths in second and sixth class pupils has improved significantly since 2009. Fewer pupils were deemed to be low-achieving and more were categorised as high achievers. Teachers, parents and pupils should be very satisfied with these results.

“Literacy and Maths have been areas of concern for some time and it is encouraging to see that hard work is paying off. We know that Irish pupils have the capability to excel; our children are growing up to be engaged, critical thinkers who bring top-quality skills to the workplace, but we should be seeing this ability from primary level through all levels of our educational system.

“Now is the time to push on and to build on these results. There is still room for improvement, particularly in DEIS schools and there are a number of these schools in Cavan.

“Ensuring our pupils meet the highest international standards is important in building a strong and sustainable economy. These are the young people who will work in this country and contribute to our economy.”