As they say, it has been one of those weeks! Every day more news. The week started with my article in KOS on the high number of exclusions in Kent, focusing on the disparity with Medway numbers, the alarming proportion of statemented children being permanently excluded in Kent and the high number of exclusions in new academies. This became the main news item on Radio Kent on Tuesday who focused on the statemented children issue, my interview being followed up by Paul Carter, Leader of KCC, who also expressed his concern about several of the issues I raised. The SEN aspect has now been taken up by Kentonline, and is likely to feature on BBC SE next week........
I gave an interview on Radio Kent (today) supporting a letter written by Sarah Hohler (Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Education) to Michael Gove urging him to reconsider the inclusion of many children with SEN in Government performance tables as they distorted the achievements of schools. I made three points:.........
This week's Government League Tables for GCSE and A Level arrived with more than the usual level of controversy with the introduction of the English Baccalaureate tables. These measure school performance in taking students to success in at least five GCSEs or iGCSEs at Grade C or better in: English, mathematics, the sciences, a modern or ancient foreign language and a humanity such as history or geography. The measurement was announced after students took their GCSEs and it has been argued is unfair because no notice was given. More importantly, it takes at least three years to plan and implement the GCSE course with these options as a central element in it, and to take students through it. The argument is that schools should already have been offering this type of course, In my view, the school curriculum has rightly been widened within available constraints enabling many more young people to enjoy success, rather than study subjects which may reinforce failure..........
Government League tables for Year 11 exams in summer 2010 were published on Wednesday,and for GCSE contained few surprises. It is very pleasing that overall, 56.8% of Kent students (up 4.8% on 2009) achieved five A* to C grades, including English and maths, compared with a national percentage of 55.2%. For grammar schools, my own benchmark is an average of 98% 5 A-Cs including maths and English, allowing an occasional dip to 96% for individual exceptions such as illness during and before the exams. This year 21 of the 33 Kent grammar schools reached this norm, with just 6 falling under my baseline, a further improvement on last year.........
Poor leadership has been blamed after league tables revealed a “devastating” 10 per cent of the country’s lowest performing primary schools are in Kent and Medway. Of 200 underachieving schools highlighted in this year’s SATs league tables, 22 – including two from Medway – were in the county.
The Department for Education findings show the number of children who have reached the Level Four benchmark by the time they move on to secondary school. Although standards were up from last year by two per cent – with 70 per cent of children in Kent County Council run
schools and 67 per cent in Medway Council-run schools meeting standards in maths and English – results were still below the 73 per cent national average. And despite some schools excelling, such as the Pilgrim School near Rochester, which was named as the most improved in England, and 10 others which gained a clean sweep in the core subjects, others fell short.
About 190 schools in Kent and some 39 in Medway failed to reach the national average in the number of pupils achieving the Level Four target.
Gravesend-based education expert Peter Read called the statistics “devastating”. He said:“Ten per cent of the 200 bottom schools are in this county. Kent has a large infrastructure of officers supposed to be supporting these schools, but why is support not turning into action? “If you look at Ofsted reports there are concerns about leadership. What is clear is in a number of schools when good senior staff leave, standards fall. There is an issue with leadership here. There are
examples of where a school is failing and advertising for a new head. “Instead they need to bring in outside help to get the school back up to standard before advertising.” Mr Read said from his own personal experience, leadership is key. “My grandson goes to school in deprived Peckham, overlooked by Milwall FC, yet 98 per cent of children got Level Four in English and maths.“KCC may say some of its schools are in deprived areas, but I’m willing to bet that none of them is as deprived as Peckham. If a school there can deliver those standards, so can schools in Kent. It is down to outstanding leadership from the head.”
Education chiefs at KCC said they were pleased with improvements – including 42 of the 78 schools that achieved less than 55 per cent in English and maths in 2009 but had reached or exceeded the target in 2010 – but admitted the figures needed to get better in coming years.
Schools throughout the country took part in a boycott of the Key Stage 2 SATs last May after teaching unions claimed pupils suffer as a result of too much emphasis being placed on them during lessons. Cllr Sarah Hohler, KCC cabinet member for children, families and education, said: “There will continue to be intensive support for those schools below the target and partnerships between schools to help raise attainment.
“It is difficult to compare Kent with the national average this year. Only six per cent of Kent primary schools boycotted the tests, compared with 26 per cent nationally. “The results are what they are, but can we be absolutely confident that the national average is a true reflection?”
Schemes have been put in place by KCC to ensure children’s key learning skills are developed at school and home. The council also revealed that for a fifth year running children’s achievements at the end of reception year had improved, with 61 per cent reaching the expected level. Education bosses at Medway Council said they were pleased to see improvements in results, but said that the authority was committed to driving up standards.
Rose Collinson, the director of children’s and adult services, said: “It’s worth noting that, unlike many authorities, the vast majority of our pupils sat the tests this year.
“It’s not really possible to make comparisons between different councils as in some authorities more than 50 per cent of children did not take part. However, I know all of Medway’s primary headteachers will join with me in wanting to accelerate the improvements we have already made.”
Once again Kent Primary Schools are below par in the Key Stage 2 Performance Tables, this year seeing 20 Kent schools featuring in the bottom 200 in the country according to Department for Education data. The reason for this is especially mystifying, given that Kent's secondary schools consistently perform well above average.......