Welsh education minister Huw Lewis has welcomed the progress made in closing the attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and those who are not.
According to the latest statistics, eligible youngsters are performing at historically high levels and there was an overall two percentage point rise in their performance between 2013 and 2014.
The gap has narrowed at Foundation Phase level, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, detailed figures show.
At Foundation Phase level the Welsh Government has already exceeded its target to reduce the attainment gap by ten per cent against 2012 levels by 2017. It also secured an 11.6 per cent reduction by the end of 2014.
Mr Lewis said: "I am very encouraged by this and would like to thank Regional Consortia, local authorities and schools across Wales for their ongoing hard work."
He added that there is still much work to be done to ensure disadvantaged pupils catch up with their peers.
Posted by Harriet McGowan
