TALKBACK

From Catherine Winzor Madam: Judith Judd ("Pupils fail to reach education targets", 24 January) says "in reading and arithmetic 20 per cent of seven-year-olds failed to reach the target of Level 2 or above ...". In his letter the following day Jeff Rooker says "the targets are the expected basics, not the norms".

This is not how the Government explains it in its circular 17/91, which states: "During each key stage teachers are required to teach with a view to pupils achieving levels of attainment within the ranges specified for that key stage. It is expected thatthe attainments of the great majority of pupils at the end of key stages will fall within the specified range of levels. The attainment of most pupils is likely to be at or close to the middle of the ranges." The range of levels specified for pupils in key stage one is from 1 to 3.

In the light of this I do not see that Level 2 can be seen as the "expected basic". It may be a target in the sense of an average we hope most children will achieve; it may be a level which, with effective teaching, an increasing number of children can reach, but it can never be the baseline of achievement for all six- and seven-year-olds.

Yours faithfully, CATHERINE WINZOR Headteacher Seascale Primary School Cumbria