The national results from this year's delayed Sats tests for primary schools in England are set to be published.
There has been a slight improvement in children's attainment in English and maths tests in England's primary schools, provisional results show.
The results for 11-year-olds are being issued despite about 460 schools still being without a complete set of marks, a month after the missed deadline.
The proportion reaching the expected standard in English was 81% compared with 80% last year.
There are eight schools which do not have any results at all for the tests taken in English, maths or science.
In maths it was 78% against 77%, while the science score was unchanged on 88%.
Headteachers said publication "beggars belief" but the government says it believes the results will be reliable.
Publication has been denounced by a head teachers' union because of the delays and controversy around this year's test marking.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has said there is no evidence of problems with marking quality to require a delay in publication - and so is going ahead with the scheduled release of the overall national results.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has said there is no evidence of problems with marking quality to require a delay in publication - and so has gone ahead with the scheduled release of the overall national results.
Missing papers
Missing papers
The results will show the proportion of pupils who have achieved the expected Level 4.
These show the proportion of pupils who have achieved the expected national curriculum level, known as Level 4.
There have been warnings that a change in the marking practice to stop re-checking borderline cases, where someone is just below getting a grade, is likely to lower the results.
The government's target - first set in 2002 - had been for 85% of children to reach this level in English and the same in maths.
But the results are being overshadowed by the ongoing problems with marking this year's Sats, which is being investigated by an independent inquiry.
TEST MARKS NEEDED TO ATTAIN LEVEL 4 Writing: 25 marks out of 50 (50%)Reading: 18 marks out of 50 (36%)Maths: 45 marks out of 100 (45%)Science: 41 marks out of 80 (51%)
Head teachers have opposed the provisional publication of results, arguing that there remain too many uncertainties about the extent of problems - either in terms of returning papers and the quality of marking.
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) statisticians point out that comparisons with previous years are skewed by a change in the marking process this year.
This involved removing the practice known as "borderlining", which involved double checking all the test scripts whose marks fell just below the benchmark level (but not above it), to see if they warranted any extra marks.
The effect is particularly significant in English, in which the marking is more subjective.
The statisticians say removing borderlining is estimated to reduce the percentage achieving the expected level by 1.2 percentage points in English, 0.2 points in maths and 0.5 points in science.
The figures show that the proportion of children attaining Level 4 in reading, writing, maths and science was 61%. So almost four in 10 children did not reach the expected level in all subjects.
Overshadowed
The results are being overshadowed by the ongoing problems with marking this year's Sats, which is being investigated by an independent inquiry.
The National Association of Head Teachers has opposed the publication, arguing that there remain too many uncertainties about the extent of problems - either in terms of returning papers and the quality of marking.
Heads have warned that as well as missing results there are other unresolved problems such as pupils wrongly marked as absent.
Heads have warned that as well as missing results there are other unresolved problems such as pupils wrongly marked as absent.
The latest figures for completed marking show that 98.8% of results for English, 99.2% for maths and 99.3% for science have been returned.
The latest figures for completed marking show that 98.8% of results for English, 99.2% for maths and 99.3% for science have been returned.
However, the published results are based on an earlier release of data, on 15 July - so they comprise 94% of the English results and 97% of those for maths and science, the DCSF said.
Pressure on pupils
In terms of schools, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority says there are now 2.8% of primary schools which are missing results in one subject, 0.1% of which are missing in two subjects and eight schools without any results.
In terms of schools, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority says there are now 2.8% of primary schools which are missing results in one subject, 0.1% of which are missing in two subjects and eight schools without any results.
A survey from the think tank Civitas, published to coincide with the test results, claims that the pressure to get pupils through Sats tests distorts their use as objective ways of measuring ability.
A survey from the think tank Civitas, published to coincide with the test results, claims that the pressure to get pupils through Sats tests distorts their use as objective ways of measuring ability.
It says that many teachers believe that the results inflate pupils' ability.
It says that many teachers believe that the results inflate pupils' ability.
The claims were rejected by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
The claims were rejected by England's Department for Children, Schools and Families.
"Standards in our schools are rising, and we do not accept that this is the result of teaching to the test. Results have improved significantly since 1997 for both 11- and 14-year-olds and those results are in turn reflected in higher GCSE results," said a spokesman.
"Standards in our schools are rising, and we do not accept that this is the result of teaching to the test. Results have improved significantly since 1997 for both 11- and 14-year-olds and those results are in turn reflected in higher GCSE results," said a spokesman.
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Is your child still waiting for their Sats results? Should the government publish the national results? Send us your comments using the form below.
Is your child still waiting for their Sats results? Should the government have published the national results? Send us your comments using the form below.
