Issue - meetings
Improving Performance at Key Stage Two - Overview and Scrutiny Review
Meeting: 17/04/2012 - Cabinet (Item 5)
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Background:
This report provided details of the Review by the Effective Challenge of Underperformance Task Group into improving performance at Key Stage 2. The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had identified Key Stage 2 as an area for review, so to look at ways of improving Key Stage 2 attainment in Medway, as well as identifying barriers to improvement and interventions to overcome them.
The review document, attached to the report, set out the background to the review and included key findings, a summary of evidence gained from various sources, information and context drawn from other publications and policies along with the findings of the Task Group.
It was noted that during its work the task group had spoken with various schools and experts, as well as inviting feedback from Medway’s Citizen Panel. The Task Group’s visits had included three outstanding primary schools outside of the Medway area. It was noted that the Task Group was impressed by the various examples of good practice and had identified areas for improvement and development to help improve performance and attainment at Key Stage 2 locally.
The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered this report on 14 March 2012 and its views were set out in paragraph 6 of the report.
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Decision number: |
Decision: |
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64/2012 |
The Cabinet agreed that:
(i) In partnership with Medway Governors Association, a minimum requirement for Governor training should be agreed so that some courses are compulsory for Governors to attend, either as part of their induction and ongoing development or as a consequence of particular roles and responsibilities.
(ii) Medway Councillors should be encouraged to demonstrate effective practice in the skills and qualities required for good governance and put themselves forward to act as a local authority representative on at least one governing body, particularly at schools judged to be satisfactory or those of concern.
(iii) Leadership teams judged as satisfactory or below should be supported to move to at least good through effective local improvement partnerships and accessing, then embedding, national and local best practice.
(iv) Leadership teams should focus on improving the quality of learning and raising aspirations for all pupils by improving the quality of teaching to consistently good or better. This will translate into Medway pupils making good progress between Key Stage 1 and 2 in both English and mathematics, i.e. above the national median of 87% English and 86% mathematics.
(v) The outcomes of the Bromley, Bexley, Medway and Kent collaborative group should be used to embed sustained good leadership.
(vi) Additional targeted funding should be used to commission specialist expertise to improve leadership and management.
(vii) That a Medway Chartered Teacher Award, which acknowledges what great teachers do in Medway should be explored to make a difference to children’s learning and life chances.
(viii) That guidance should be issued to schools on brokering external consultancy, which will have impact and be sustainable, including accredited professional development to meet the needs of groups of teachers thus ... view the full minutes text for item 5 |