A CASCADE of merit stars is showered on schools, teachers, pupils and the government today as so many emerge successful in the National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds. And amid a sharp rise in standards across the country, particularly encouraging is the revelation that standards in basics are rising fastest in primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas.

The results show that eight out of 10 of the schools making most progress in literacy are in poor areas and nine out of 10 in numeracy.

Indeed, we see this heartening trend powerfully demonstrated in the achievements of pupils at Roman Road County Primary in Blackburn where, four years ago, when the tests began, only seven per cent passed maths tests and 11 per cent achieved the target in English.

Today, with 72 per cent passing in maths and 64 per cent in English, the school is the ninth most improved nationwide. Well done!

But this achievement, and the pattern reflected nationwide in schools in worse-off areas, surely puts paid to the notion so often grasped by critics of school tests and league tables that poor social and economic conditions, which were claimed to depress performance of schools whose intakes were under their influence, made comparisons between schools unreal and unfair.

That excuse for under-achievement has been blown to pieces by this year's impressive results showing two-thirds of schools nationwide have improved in English and three-quarters have seen their pupils reached the expected level in maths and science. But what has made the difference, especially after the disappointing outcome in primaries last year?

What these results show are the effects of the first year of the government's national literacy strategy and the introduction on an extensive scale of its numeracy drive, both based on traditional methods of teaching, reading by the use of phonics and putting an emphasis on correct spelling and the use of grammar, together with the restoration of mental arithmetic.

Add to that the dedication of teachers and the improved stimulation of children by the ditching of trendy techniques and the upshot is the happy one we see today.

But let us not forget the basic value of tests per se in setting targets in schools where, for decades following the demise of the old 11-plus, none was once applied.

Surely, now all the arguments against tests have been lost.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.