Results in key subjects in Wirral’s primary schools remained below the national average, with outcomes for seven-year-olds getting worse.
In reading, writing and maths, seven-year-olds achieved less than the previous year’s cohort.
The results for 11-year-olds, remained the same, but they were still below the national average.
There was better news on phonics - a test for six-year-olds on their ability to link sounds to letters - as the last two years, results had improved by six percent and put Wirral in line with the national average.
Over the last two years, results improved by six percent and put Wirral in line with the national average.
Sue Talbot, Wirral Council's lead commissioner for schools, said: “We feel that because there’s been intensive work around phonics, we’re hoping for even better things next year.
“The boys achievement has gone up and the girls, but surprise, surprise, it's the girls [improving] at a greater rate, so still work to do there.”
However, the broader picture was less encouraging.
Ms Talbot said: “Of concern for me are the outcomes around reading, because these are the children who did so well in the phonics test the year before.
“There is considerable work going on around why the development of reading [in the previous year] hasn’t had the impact with the seven-year-olds.”
Ms Talbot also discussed the gendered differences in results for 11-year-olds, she said: “The girls have done better than the boys, so the gap widened.”
The progress of a mental health service for children and adolescents was also discussed.
Council officers informed the children and families committee that they had secured the maximum possible funding from central government for the scheme, however Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Carubia was concerned about the four month waiting period from when someone raises a concern to when concrete action is taken.
Cllr Carubia asked if anyone drops out of the scheme during the waiting period, however a council officer said that she did not have the figures to hand, but she believes the number of people who drop out is very small.
The £2.6 million deficit in the children’s services budget was also discussed. Paul Boyce, corporate director for children's services, said that a major problem was that too many children were being put into residential care when their welfare could be monitored more successfully and far more cheaply through other means.
Mr Boyce said this was compounded by a huge increase in the cost of residential care.
