Over 200,000 British kids fail spelling test

London, Sep 28,2012: Around 237,000 six-year-old children -- 40 percent of the total from all over Britain -- were unable to read 32 words correctly out of 40 in a spelling test. The children struggled with words like "farm", "goat" and "shine", the Daily Mail reported.

Pupils were tested for the first time this year on how well they use the traditional phonics method of reading, where children learn the letter sounds of English. Only nine percent scored full marks, and 21 percent failed to cross the halfway mark, according to results released by the Department for Education.

Boys trailed behind girls, achieving a 54 percent pass rate. The females got 62 percent. The report said only 37 percent of white boys on free school meals reached the standard, making them the worst-performing of all groups apart from pupils from gipsy and traveller families.

A total of 592,010 youngsters aged five and six entered for the new test. The government also published levels achieved by seven-year-olds in reading, writing, speaking, listening, maths and science.

Eighty-seven percent of the children achieved the national standard in reading and 83 percent in writing. Speaking and listening also improved, to 88 percent, as did maths to 91 percent. Science stayed the same as in 2011 on 89 percent.