To receive the presentation of Heather Loveridge (Director for Education and Skills).
Minutes:
The Director for Education and Skills gave a presentation on educational attainment in the Borough. The Director presented the latest educational attainment statistics to the Committee, the Director set out attainment across the Key Stages and contrasted this with the national average. The Director followed this up with an update on the Councils work to improve on the set of results presented, setting out the actions that had been taken. These included a round table held with key partners and a strategic partnership between head teachers and chief executives. The role of the Local Authority Quality Assurance Officer in monitoring school performance was also set out for the Committee.
Members asked a number of questions as follows:-
More than half of the Boroughs secondary schools were over the national average for ‘Attainment 8’; was there any data on the ones that weren’t so good, for example around the relationship with feeder primaries?
Some schools performed better in certain subject areas. Some schools had had a difficult time but were now seeing improvement. It was possible to say, with some confidence, that a number of secondary schools would get good results for the current year as considerable progress had been seen. Some schools had issues but were receiving support, sometimes from outside of the Borough.
What was the Council doing to support academies in the Borough?
Academies were outside the remit of the Council but if there were concerns. The Chief Executives of the academy trusts would be approached initially due to the good relationships that existed. If this was not effective the regional School Commissioner could be approached and asked if the school is receiving support, and if they were satisfied with the support they were receiving. The Council had a responsibility to all children of the Borough no matter which school they attended.
Are children with SEND identified early enough?
There were three SEND coordinators at the Council, together with a whole infrastructure around early support for SEND. Most individuals with a plan were identified at an early age. Ofsted, Three years ago, Ofsted rated the Council’s SEND provision as good.
KS2 children were often very stressed about exams, then they moved on to high school and were re-examined to check their KS2 results. Did the Council have a role in alleviating the pressure children might feel? Has there been any discussion at national level about stopping KS2 exams or making any changes?
The Committee had been advised that on the contrary, the government were bringing in more testing at this level as opposed to taking them away. There was pressure on pupils but schools were encouraged to offer a broader curriculum with cultural capital such as encouraging music. Schools were still ultimately judged on performance and this was difficult. Heads were under pressure to get good results but equally many heads would say the most important thing was to offer a good education and opportunities that pupils wouldn’t have otherwise. Many heads did not want children to feel the pressure that they do.
Did putting too much pressure on children have the opposite effect? There was a need to acknowledge the benefit of the cultural capital aspect of learning and give a broader education to children.
There was a need to find a way to meet all children’s needs, including their varying learning speeds, and also find ways for each child to show off their talents and ability.
At KS2, there was a 2.3% reduction in the score for reading between 2018 and 2019, though 2018 was better than 2017. It was also noted that nationally these figures had gone down.
The rates were still above national level, locally, but it was a national trend that reading figures had decreased.
What actions had been taken to address this trend?
The schools where this had happened had been identified; some of them were ‘good’ schools so the decline had come as a surprise. There were special development conferences and a special reading initiative in place to address the issue.
What were staff retention levels in the Borough? How did the Service deal with teaching staff stress levels in schools?
Officers did not have this information. However, if the Council noted aparticularly high staff turnover then it would investigate. Having said that, it was common for successful staff to move quickly through the ranks and leave to pursue higher roles.
There was concern that teachers were being put under pressure over results
It was noted that this was a government led pressure. Local Trade Unions had not directly expressed any concerns. There was always general pressure on teachers but there was not a sense that teachers were under undue pressure in Telford & Wrekin.
AGREED – that the Director for Education and Skills be requested to provide a finalised report on this topic.