Wellington, Dec 16 NZPA - A leaked Education Review Office (ERO) report described by Education Minister Anne Tolley as "alarming" is not as bad as the minister is making out, education sector union NZEI says.

The ERO evaluation of reading and writing in the crucial years 1 and 2 at primary schools found that about 70 percent of teachers were performing well but the other 30 percent were not up to scratch.

It also found that almost two-thirds of principals and senior managers were not properly monitoring students' achievement or progress, and that three-quarters of principals did not set expectations of high achievement levels.

"Parents and communities will be extremely concerned with the findings of this report, which goes some way to explaining why one in five children are leaving school without the basic skills they need," Mrs Tolley said.

She said the report's contents showed the need to introduce national standards, where schools would be required to assess, monitor and report in plain language on each child's progress in reading, writing and maths.

The standards regime has come under fire from teachers, parents and academics, concerned at the speed of its implementation and the effects it could have on children who were falling behind.

NZEI president Frances Nelson said today the report was designed to identify areas of good teacher practice and areas for skill development.

It had found that in most of the 212 schools evaluated, reading and writing was being taught to a high or good standard and most teachers approached literacy teaching passionately.

The report said boards of trustees should ensure Years 1 and 2 classes were taught by competent teachers and monitor the impact of interventions on raising student achievement.

Ms Nelson said some of the findings came as no surprise.

"For example, we know that because of lower junior class ratios and the way staffing comes in to schools at varying times during the year, many schools are putting beginning teachers into their Year 1 and 2 classrooms.

"Ideally, teachers in these levels should be the most experienced. This is a well documented problem."

Ms Nelson said the report acknowledged that New Zealand children achieved well by international standards.

"It should not be used to manufacture a crisis for political gain," she said.

Teachers and principals were committed to raising student achievement and the challenge was to build on the effective quality of teaching which was going on in most schools already, and give support where it was needed.