The gap between disadvantaged Year 6 pupils and their peers in key stage 2 Sats results has increased slightly this year, provisional Department for Education data shows.

The DfE has released more detailed statistics after publishing headline Sats scores earlier this year.

Here are the main trends:

Disadvantage gap widens

In reading, writing and maths (combined), 47 per cent of disadvantaged pupils met the expected standard in 2025, compared with 69 per cent of other pupils, keeping the gap at 22 percentage points.

But just 4 per cent of disadvantaged pupils met the higher standard in reading, writing and maths (combined), compared with 11 per cent of other pupils.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard in writing improved from 58 per cent in 2024 to 59 per cent in 2025. The figure for pupils not known to be disadvantaged remained the same at 78 per cent.

Reading attainment improved by one percentage point for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils, and attainment in maths also improved for both groups.

The DfE’s disadvantage gap index, which summarises the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and all other pupils taking their Sats, rose from 3.13 in 2024 to 3.14 in 2025. After reaching a high following the pandemic, it had been falling in recent years.

The DfE described this year’s rise as a “slight” increase and flagged that the statistics are provisional, although last year’s figure rose slightly when adjusted.

Regional trends: London still top

The DfE also released regional attainment data, which again identified London as the highest-performing region.

In the capital, 68 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in the combined core subjects - a marginal decrease from 69 per cent in 2024 and below the standard of 71 per cent in 2019.

In all other regions, attainment in reading, writing and maths (combined) ranged between 59 per cent and 61 per cent.

In 2019, before the pandemic, all regions achieved at least 63 per cent.

Girls still outperform boys overall

In reading, writing and maths (combined) in 2025, 65 per cent of girls met the expected standard compared with per cent of boys.

Girls continued to outperform boys at the expected standard in all subjects, except for maths, where girls were unchanged but boys are now two percentage points ahead.

And some 30 per cent of boys and 22 per cent of girls met the higher standard in maths - a gap of eight percentage points, up from five percentage points last year.

The biggest attainment gap between girls and boys remains in writing teacher assessment at 12 percentage points.

Scores rise for pupils with SEND - but not those with EHCPs

In 2025, 24 per cent of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) provision met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined), up from 22 per cent in 2024.

But only 9 per cent of those pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) met the standard - the same proportion as in 2024.

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