KS2 Sats: Disadvantage gap rises to highest level in 4 years

The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in key stage 2 Sats has reached its highest level since 2021-22, annual data shows.

The Department for Education’s disadvantage gap index score - summarising the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils taking KS2 Sats - has risen to 3.22, up from 3.16 in 2024-25 and the post-Covid low of 3.13 the previous year.

The gap is now at its widest since the 3.23 gap in 2021-22, the first year with available data after the Covid pandemic. It is also wider than the 2.91 recorded in the final year unaffected by Covid, 2018-19.

Since 2010-11, the attainment gap has only been wider in three school years: 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2021-22.

Headline Sats results, released in July, revealed marginal improvements and stability across all subjects compared with last year, with 63 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

The disadvantage gap in KS2 Sats

Some 49 per cent of disadvantaged pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined this year, up from 47 per cent in 2025. In writing, 60 per cent met the expected standard, up from 59 per cent; while 62 per cent did so in maths, up from 61 per cent. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading remained unchanged at 63 per cent.

In reading, writing and maths combined, the 49 per cent of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in 2026 compared with 70 per cent of other pupils, keeping that gap unchanged.

Meanwhile, 4 per cent of disadvantaged pupils met the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, while 11 per cent of other pupils met the higher standard.

Girls continue to do better than boys

Looking at the results by gender, today’s data shows the continuation of a trend: girls are outperforming boys in meeting both expected and higher standards.

In grammar, punctuation and spelling, some 70 per cent of boys met the expected standard compared with 77 per cent of girls. This gap of 7 percentage points is one point lower than in 2025.

Boys (76 per cent) continued to outperform girls (74 per cent) in meeting the expected standard in maths, but female pupils continued to outperform boys in reading, writing and maths combined and in science and writing.

Improved attainment among pupils with SEND

The proportion of pupils in receipt of an education, health and care plan (EHCP) meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 10 per cent in 2025-26. DfE data going back to 2015-16 reveals this to be the highest share on record.

Meanwhile, 30 per cent of pupils receiving special educational needs support without an EHCP met the standard this year, up from 29 per cent in 2024-25 and 26 per cent the previous year.

Some 26 per cent of all pupils with special educational needs and disabilities achieved expected standards this year, although this is still significantly lower than the share of pupils without any form of SEND provision (75 per cent).

In 2026, 6 per cent of all pupils had an EHCP and 18 per cent received SEN support.

London stays ahead

Regional performance in Sats mirrored that in A levels and GCSEs, with London continuing as the highest-performing region across all individual subject areas.

The proportion of London pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined remained at 70 per cent. Attainment in all other regions ranged from 61 per cent to 63 per cent, leaving a gap of 9 percentage points between the highest- and lowest-performing regions.

The regional divide narrowed by one percentage point from 2024-25.

The national average in meeting the expected standard in writing was 73 per cent this year, leaving only London (77 per cent), the North East (74 per cent) and the South East (73 per cent) at or above it.

London (81 per cent) was the only region to better the national average in maths (75 per cent). The North East was the only other region to meet the national standard.

The national average for meeting the expected standard in reading was 75 per cent in 2025-26, unchanged from last year. Some 73 per cent of pupils in the East Midlands and in Yorkshire and the Humber met the standard, while pupils in the North West and West Midlands also did not meet the average, each with 74 per cent respectively.

EAL pupils improve

Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) improved or remained stable in every subject this year.

While 63 per cent of pupils with English as their first language met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined this year, two in three EAL pupils achieved this in 2025-26, up from 64 per cent in 2024-25.

The share of EAL pupils meeting the expected standard in reading remained unchanged at 74 per cent, while three in four met the standard in writing, up from 73 per cent in 2024-25.

Some 79 per cent of pupils with a first language other than English met the expected standard in maths, representing an increase of one percentage point and leaving an attainment gap of 5 percentage points to their peers.

A DfE spokesperson said that results were “moving in the right direction” but warned that “progress alone is not enough”.

“Too many children are still held back by where they live or the challenges they face, and the disadvantage gap remains too wide,” they added.

“That’s why we are going further, targeting support through Mission North East and Coastal to reduce the attainment gap in areas where too many children have been held back for too long, and building on the [Francis] curriculum review to make sure that every child in the country gets the high-quality teaching they need to get a strong foundation in reading, writing and maths.”