Agenda item

The Annual Schools’ Performance Report for the school year 2018-19 is attached at Appendix 1.  This report provides the results at each Key Stage for maintained schools and academies. It also includes information on attendance and exclusions for 2017-18, the latest school year for which national data has been published and the provisional exclusions data for 2018-19.

Discussion:

The Chairman welcomed the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) for South London and the South East, Claire Burton, to the meeting. The RSC then explained her role to the Committee, including the partnership work between academy trusts, local authorities and diocese boards of education. She also referred to the work that was being done to support school leader networks to become self-sustaining so they could effectively support and challenge each other and share best practices, and to the inclusion programme that had been supported with funding from the RSC to work with the local authority in supporting primary schools in Medway with the highest levels of exclusions. The latter had resulted in a much improved performance with inclusive practices becoming established in those schools. Reference was also made to a recent letter sent to all schools from both the RSC and the local authority, reminding them of their duties to be inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a priority focus for both.

Members then raised a number of questions and comments, which included:

·         Coasting schools – in response to concerns raised about coasting schools, the RSC confirmed that where schools were not showing year on year improvement, this was picked up at trust level. It was also confirmed that the definition relating to coasting schools was no longer used by the government but that Medway continued to track this information, in order to inform their identification of schools that required additional support. It was added that where academies did require additional support the RSC worked with the relevant trust to identify support in their development, in accessing available funding or in building capacity.

·         Criteria used for academisation – in response to a question about the criteria used when converting a school to an academy, the RSC explained this was dependent on the circumstances. Where a school voluntarily wished to convert to an academy, the RSC would look to ensure the trust involved had the capacity to support the school effectively and that the match between the two was considered to be a good one. Where a school was subject to a direct academy order, this would mean the school was judged to be inadequate or in special measures.

·         Medway Cultural Education Partnership (MCEP) – in response to a question about how the MCEP had supported work to reduce exclusions in secondary school, officers explained that the MCEP, which had been part funded from a successful bid with the Royal Opera House Bridge, was a pilot programme working with two secondary schools and 52 feeder primary schools to support pupils in their transition from Year 6 to Year 7 and reduce exclusions at this point of their education. The evaluation had been very positive and learning was being cascaded to all schools in Medway.

·         Widened responsibilities of the RSC – the RSC confirmed during the discussion that the role had been widened to include additional functions such as free school delivery and pupil place planning (working with local authorities who retained statutory duty regarding this). This enabled a joined up approach and allowed the RSC to take a more holistic approach to its work.

·         Delays in free schools – reference was made to delays Medway had experienced with the development of free schools and the impact this had had on pupil place planning. In response the RSC explained that within the Department for Education (DfE) there was a Capital and Project Management Service which held responsibility for the delivery of free schools. However, because functions relating to pupil place planning had been added to the remit of RSCs, close liaison on delays did occur between the RSC, the relevant DfE service and the local authority to mitigate where possible.

·         Stalled improvement at Key stage 2 – concern was raised that the previous achievements in Key Stage 2 had slowed in 2018-19. Officers confirmed that this mirrored a national trend of performance stalling in key stage 2 and reiterated the impressive rate of improvement in key stage 2 that had occurred in Medway over recent years. The gap between Medway and the national average was reducing and work was ongoing with primary and secondary schools to recognise areas of strength and best practice and ensure this was shared across all schools. 

·         Exclusions of vulnerable children – when asked how exclusion information relating to vulnerable children was used, particularly given the lag in performance data on exclusion, the RSC explained that close liaison with the local authority was key on this issue. Areas of concern were then raised in challenge meetings with the relevant trusts, which were generally held in the Autumn term. Where exclusions data greatly differed from expected numbers, schools were supported in identifying ways to improve their performance, such as understanding or effectively using behaviour policies.

·         English as an Additional Language – comment was made that there was a large rise in the pupil population in Medway who had English as an additional language, which was becoming more difficult for schools to manage and it was asked that the RSC consider looking at this issue with the local authority to identify ways of supporting schools with this.

Decision:

The Committee noted the report and thanked the Regional Schools Commissioner for her attendance.