The Government is considering delaying some aspects of its controversial national standards policy for education.
The standards will measure the progress of primary school children in mathematics, reading and writing.
A spokesperson for Education Minister Anne Tolley says the standards will be introduced next year, but the Government may delay a decision on how the results will be reported.
The spokesperson says no decision has been made yet over the matter.
The primary teachers union, the NZEI, is claiming a victory for the sector, saying it shows teachers and principals have been listened to during the consultation round, which finished on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Mrs Tolley told a primary school principals conference in Palmerston North that the Government would not back down over standards.
But Principals Federation president Ernie Buutveld told the conference a new survey showed a high level of opposition to any measure that would allow schools to be ranked against each other.
The conference was told 95% of principals are concerned about the standards. Eight out of 10 say they will not fully comply with the policy.
