Agenda item

This report seeks to present the provisional education results for Medway for the year 2013. The report summarises the performance of Medway’s schools as indicated by the provisional results in the 2013 tests, teacher assessments and examinations. On the basis of these provisional results, irrespective of where this places Medway in national attainment tables, for primary phase these are the best set of results Medway has ever had. Tables showing the performance are presented as graphs appended to this report. This data is un-validated and must be treated with caution.

Discussion:

The Assistant Director Inclusion and School Improvement and Head of School Challenge and Improvement presented the provisional education results for Medway for the year 2013. The report showed Medway were no longer at the bottom of the national tables and that the results for the primary phase were the best set of results Medway had ever had. It was reported that the gaps between Medway’s results and the national average were now closing.

Highlights included: Early years results were 5 points above the national average; Year 1 phonics - 62% achieved the measure, whilst for Year 2 80% achieved the measure; Key Stage 1 2B+ significant improvement Level 3 matches national average; Key Stage 2 now 6 percentage points higher than the lowest local authority; Key Stage 2 improvements were faster than the average national improvement; GCSE’s 5A*- C above national average; Post 16 (A Level equivalents) were doing well compared to national picture. A detailed breakdown of the provisional results, including analysis by gender, was provided at Appendix 2 of the report.

Members then made a number of comments and asked officers questions which included:

• Recognition that although the tables are a snapshot the upward trend was looking positive;

• Praise for Medway schools in supporting their pupils to achieve these outcomes;

• Questioning the Key stage 4 results, which officers confirmed had slipped back slightly by 0.7%, although Medway’s Key Stage 4 results stood at 88% which was higher than the national average of 82.7%; Officers advice was to treat the information with caution as the results are provisional and may change.

• Questioning whether the report in future could include information on the role of the local authority in relation to supporting schools and pupils to achieve their best;

• The size and capacity of the team that supports the schools, recognising that the team is small;

• The importance of sharing and learning from best practice both nationally and locally;

• The importance of governor training and ensuring governing bodies were providing strong, professional leadership;

• Developing links between schools and local universities, officers agreed to provide details of the staff member who can help.

• Questioning Medway’s provisional position on the national league tables, which was confirmed by officers as joint seventh from bottom with around 12 other local authorities;

• The impact that individual schools can have on the results given that one Academy school’s results were particularly low. Officers confirmed that this school was about to announce the appointment of a new principal and it was hoped it would now be on a trajectory for improvement

• Recognition that 18 out of 19 provisional performance tables showed improvement.

• Querying Appendix 1, section 2, which stated that Governor Services were not aware of any Councillors having put themselves forward to be school governors during this academic year and a Member advised the Committee that a Councillor had put themselves forward to become a school governor in the current academic year.

Decision:

a)     The Committee formally placed on record its appreciation of the work being undertaken to ensure pupils in Medway were achieving their best in tests and examinations.

b)     The Committee noted the report and requested the following amendment:

i)       The Committee requested that officers amend Appendix 1 to reflect that a Member has put themselves forward to be a school governor in this academic year.

c)      The Committee requested that future reports should include further information on the work of the local authority in supporting schools and pupils in attaining their best test and examination results.