Basic maths and English test dropped

Ministers today abandoned plans to raise standards in basic maths and English — 24 hours after figures showed thousands of children were failing to master the "three Rs".

The Government's exams agencies have been working on moves to make a new course in literacy and numeracy for daily life a compulsory part of all GCSEs from next year.

The plan, announced by former education secretary Ruth Kelly, would have required teenagers to pass a "functional skills" test in order to score a C grade or better in maths and English GCSEs.

But schools minister Jim Knight said more work was needed before such a "hurdle" could be introduced to exams.

Exam boards feared that making functional skills a compulsory part of GCSEs would seriously lower the national pass rate as fewer pupils achieved A*-C grades.

Yesterday, Sats results showed one in four pupils left primary school unable to read, write and add up to the level expected of their age group.