An MHK is trying to find out how well primary schools are performing.

Daphne Caine (Garff) is seeking attainment percentages for them in 2017-18, based on measures at reception class and year six (the final year in primary school) level.

But education chiefs say the results still require to be verified for each school and that cannot happen before September.

They have also warned that school performance data broken down in the way sought by Mrs Caine could lead to individual children being identified.

In response to a written question submitted by Mrs Caine this week, asking for a school-by-school breakdown of the percentages of children who attained the new ’good level of development’ measure (GLD) at the end of the reception year just finished, Education Minister Graham Cregeen said the indications were there had been an ’overall improvement’ on the 2016-17.

But he said the verification process had to be carried out to avoid inaccurate data or averages being put out.

He added: ’We also have to ensure data is sufficiently anonymised as we have some small school cohort sizes where individual children could be potentially identified.’

Mr Cregeen pointed out the figure for England had not yet been released.

Earlier this year Mrs Caine, who was still children’s champion at the time, asked for the same figures for 2016/17.

The Department of Education, Sport and Culture acceded to her request for a full list of percentages for individual schools. But the Manx Independent decided not to publish all of them, because it believed it was possible to identify children in some schools, especially where the reception class intake was so small that a percentage given could actually refer to just one or two pupils.

Seventeen of the 32 primary schools were given a target of ’improving GLD’ in the academic year just completed.

Children are defined as having reached GLD at the end of their reception year if they have achieved at least the expected level in the ’prime areas’ of learning. There are 17 ’early learning goals’, which cover personal, social and emotional development, physical development, communication, as well as specific areas of maths and literacy.

Mrs Caine is also seeking a school-by-school breakdown of attainment levels of year six children in the last school year. Those children have now left the schools to which the figures will refer.

Mr Cregeen once again said the final figures needed to be verified in September.

’When finally verified, schools will make their own key stage two attainment data available on their school website,’ he added.

The DESC is opposed to the use of school league tables in the Isle of Man, but when faced with Tynwald questions, it has been obliged to release data that can then be used for precisely that purpose.

It says league tables do not help to raise standards and can potentially narrow the curriculum for pupils, reduce motivation and discourage inclusion of lower attaining pupils.’