To receive a verbal update on Education Attainment statistics for the 2023/24 academic year.
Minutes:
The Director: Education & Skills and the Achievement & Enrichment Service Delivery Manager presented an update to the Committee on the education attainment statistics for the 2023/24 academic year.
The presentation highlighted that the Council was the accountable body responsible for performance for maintained schools whilst academies would be required to report to the Department for Education (DfE). Statistical data released by the DfE showed that in Telford and Wrekin, 70% of primary schools were schools which were maintained and 92% of secondary schools were schools which were academies, both of which were above the national average at the time of the meeting.
Members heard that the national picture for education was continuously evolving and it was predicted that 69% of children in Telford and Wrekin would reach the expected standard of learning at the end of early years foundation stage and 62% would reach the expected standard of learning at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2), both of which were above the national average at the time of the meeting. For Key Stage 4 (KS4) pupils, 39% of children were predicted to achieve a Grade 5 in English and Maths which a total attainment score of 43.3 which was just below the average score for the West Midlands of 44.5.
Over the past three years, Telford and Wrekin had consistently edged above the national average across various areas of learning and development which showed that children were either meeting or emerging towards the expected standards. The percentage of children in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) who were expected to reach a good level of development for 2024 was in line with the national average with 69% of pupils expected achieve a good level of development in Telford and Wrekin compared to 65% of pupils for the West Midlands. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have provided targeted intervention to support children transitioning from EYFS to KS1 (Year 1) who may have not met early learning goals or good level of development. This included initiatives such as Talk Boost which had supported over 500 children and trained over 220 professionals to enhance language development. More than three quarters of pupils had met the expected standard for early learning goals for physical social education, communication and language.
The Government had set clear targets for schools for children to be able to successfully decode words to help with development of early reading skills. There was a requirement as part of the DfE approved programme for phonics tests to be taken by pupils in Year 1. Members heard that the percentage of children who had passed phonics tests in Telford and Wrekin was in line with both regional and national averages. For Telford and Wrekin schools, 80% of pupils were achieving the expected level in phonics decoding in 2024.
Over the last two years, KS1 statutory assessments have been removed, however assessments were still being undertaken in schools and all children would be required to sit Year 6 SATs at the end of the Summer term. The number of pupils in KS2 achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined and in greater depth was in line with national figures with an average of 62% of pupils in Telford and Wrekin when compared to 60% for the West Midlands. For children who were disadvantaged, attainment data showed that more disadvantaged children were reaching the expected standard when compared to their peers regionally and nationally. Nearly one third of children had achieved a greater depth in reading whilst writing had taken the longer to improve post the Covid-10 pandemic.
For KS4 pupils, the average attainment score was measured across 8 qualifications with scores for Maths and English double weighted and 90 points being the maximum score available to achieve. The attainment 8 score was in line with the regional average with a score of 43.3 for Telford and Wrekin, however scored slightly below when compared to the national average of 46.1 for England. The percentage of pupils achieving a 5-9 pass grade in English and Maths for Telford and Wrekin was slightly lower at 39% when compared to the percentage of pupils in the West Midlands at 42%. In the current cohort of 2,400 pupils at the time of meeting, 58% of pupils in Telford and Wrekin had achieved a pass grade in English and Maths which was 7% below the national average with 39% of the cohort achieving a grade between 5 and 9.
Members heard that the next areas of focus for the Council would include the introduction of IDAMs to report national attendance complemented by termly attendance advisor visits. The performance of children in disadvantaged and vulnerable cohorts would continue to be monitored which would include the introduction of networking sessions for pupil premium leads and a continual review of pupil premium strategies in line with quality assurance processes. The Council would also be working to continue to deliver the Talk Boost programme to support children with early communication and barriers which would see 209 staff trained by the end of the Summer term and 56 intervention groups delivered with 447 participants.
Following the presentation, Members asked several questions:-
How did you define "disadvantaged" children and was it based on children with social deprivation and/or special education needs?
The Director: Education & Skills advised that the terminology around disadvantaged children is one which is used nationally not just in Telford and Wrekin and refers to children who are in receipt of pupil premium funding. Children with special educational needs are not included in the cohort of disadvantaged pupils.
Did the Council monitor the management of pupil premium funding in academies?
The Service Delivery Manager: Achievement & Enrichment advised that each child has a specific amount of funding allocated and each school must have a strategy in place to ensure they are held accountable for supporting and raising positive outcomes for children. Whilst schools were able to decide how to spend the funding received for each child, there were clear guidelines on how funding should be used, and schools could seek further guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation. Pupil premium strategies should be reviewed annual by schools to assess the overall impact of funding.
What support was available for children who were not eligible for pupil premium funding and did not have an EHCP but have experienced physical health issues, family traumas or the loss of a parent?
The Service Delivery Manager: Achievement & Enrichment confirmed that the Council work closely with schools to identify vulnerable children regardless of if they are recognised by a category such as disadvantaged or SEND. A range of support services were also in place in schools including Educational Psychology Teams and children’s Mental Health services to provide various pathways to support children.
What did you think were the reasons behind the decline in targets for KS4 pupils, particularly in English and Maths where performance had been initially on target?
The Service Delivery Manager: Achievement & Enrichment advised that following the complexities children have faced with returning to secondary education post Covid, the Council had observed significant gaps in the time needed for pupils to catch up with the curriculum and the benchmarks that had been set prior to the pandemic were no longer appropriate. Additionally, there had been an increase in teacher assessments during the pandemic which had since declined and schools had returned to normal marking practices.