At the 2 March 2023 meeting it was proposed and agreed that as a result of work undertaken in partnership with the Local Government Association the Committee adopt a hybrid model moving forward.
This would be based on the assumption that meetings will last no more than three hours, with two hours focused on the theme and the remaining time on general matters that need to be reviewed by the Committee as existing ongoing business.
Following consultation with the Director of People, Children and Adults’ Services it was agreed that this meeting would be Education Themed with a report on School Performance Data (Unvalidated).
Minutes:
Discussion:
The Assistant Director of Education introduced the report with a presentation, supported by the Director of the Leigh Institute.
Members then raised a number of comments and questions, which included:
Members were concerned and disappointed that the Regional Schools Director had not attended this scrutiny meeting despite being invited and it was suggested that a letter be sent on behalf of the Committee expressing this, considering the high number of academy schools in Medway for which they were responsible.
Areas of Deprivation - in response to comments on what support was offered to pupils in high areas of deprivation, officers said that there was targeted work to support inclusion and provision of wrap around support for schools. A review of alternative provision which were both good and outstanding has been undertaken. There was a focus on quality and an 8-12 week integration programme to get pupils back in and settled into schools. Risk assessments were conducted which looked at 12 performance measures, including levels of suspension and inclusion, this written information was shared with school leaders and governors and formed the basis of thorough conversation on journeys of improvement that needed to be taken.
Early Years - Children on Education Health and Care Plans did not perform as well as their peers and it was asked what was being done to address issues. Officers said that data on performance was shared with schools to enable them to make an analysis and explore ways to address gaps. Schools were offered training in improvements to SEND performance and making a difference to disadvantaged pupils. Schools were also able to access support through behaviour hubs. For all children in early years in general, analysis was undertaken regularly to assess performance in comparison to other key phases and that information is used to appropriately tailor the curriculum. The latest Ofsted framework, which was due to be updated, had a greater focus on quality of curriculum and how to tailor to meet needs in particular subject areas.
Key Stage 1 and holding to account – in response to a query on how schools would be held to account, officers said that Key Stage 1 SATS were no longer a statutory requirement, but the offer would continue to be made to schools in terms of working together. Any data would be shared with the Headteachers Association to enable schools to share best practice and work collaboratively.
Transition in Key Stage 3 – it was questioned how well schools managed the transition to KS3 and what discussions took place with headteachers at KS2 regarding concerns. The officer responded that Medway’s performance at KS3 were below national level and there were differences in performance in schools. During lockdown there were high prevalence of absence and persistent absence and recovery post lockdown had taken longer than anticipated but was improving. Improving performance for this cohort remained a priority and there was a strong focus on collaboration with partners to identify and address barriers to improvement.
Funding for training through the Leigh Institute – in response to what steps would be taken should funding cease to continue, the Director of the Leigh Institute said that the way their work was funded had changed and that as an organisation, they always explored innovative ways to ensure they could continue with their work with schools. They remained committed to making the course for national professional qualifications available at a low cost. Medway was a priority area that had always had its courses for national professional qualification funded, and they were awaiting announcement as to whether funding would be continued for future cohorts.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Data - it was commented that due to the complexity and needs of SEN pupils, many of whom would not take final exams, it may be more appropriate for their performance data to be excluded in order that an accurate reflection of performance could be gathered. Additionally, many of the performance measures used were not accessible to SEN schools and a formalisation of processes could be worth consideration in order to make more use of information on their progress over time as a measure of performance. The officer said that data for all children were included but would explore ways on how information for SEND pupils could be aggregated and presented.
Elective home education - it was asked what support was provided to parents and carers who chose home education. Officers said that all parents had the right to elective home education and the Local Authority had a duty to monitor that process. Time was spent explaining the implications of this to parents and to drive through the understanding that when this choice was made, children not on a school roll could not be entered for exams and exam support was not provided. Parents with children not on the school roll were supported and encouraged to get their children back on the school roll for this purpose. There was a stream of work in place to target groups including those electively home educated with an offer from Mid Kent College.
The Director of People and Deputy Chief Executive thanked schools for their hard work and noted that the relationship with the Local Authority had improved. The aspiration was to continue to strengthen Medway’s education community and strong examples of that was evident through the presentation given. It was important to note that the responsibility of educational achievement and attainments belong to the school and that must be taken into consideration when scrutinising performance data. The Local Authority recognised its responsibilities in holding schools to account and those in depth conversations took place on a regular basis to ensure that there was not a decline in performance.
Decision: