Issue - items at meetings - Brighton &Hove City Council: Annual Standards and School Performance Report 2011/12

Report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services (copy attached)

            RESOLVED – That the Committee receive considers and comments on the standards achieved in Brighton & hove schools, colleges and settings in 2011/12.

32.1    The Committee considered a report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services which provided details of the Annual Standards and Performance within Brighton & Hove schools during 2011/12.

32.2    It was noted that improvements had been seen in all areas and the gaps between vulnerable groups of pupils to be in line with or above national averages had continued to close in some areas.

32.3    The report provided on information on the standards achieved in 2011/2 from early years to Key Stage5. Some of the information in the report, in particular relating to Key Stages 4 and 5 was based on provisional data, as examination results were still being validated. At Key Stage 4, there was a particular issue around the setting of grade boundaries for GCSE English. The City Council was participating with other local authorities, schools and teacher unions in a legal challenge to Ofqual and the awarding bodies. The report would be updated and brought again to the Committee in Spring 2013. once all examination results had been validated and performance tables published by the DfE in January 2013.

32.4    Councillor Wealls referred to the gap in provision between eligibility for free school meals and take up and measures being put into place to address this. The Lead Commissioner, Schools, Skills and Learning explained that schools undertook measures to ensure that eligibility for take up was well publicised and that children who were in receipt of free school meals could not be identified by their peers.

32.5    The Chair stated that this was a national problem and that the authority was continuing to work with schools to address this.

32.6    In answer to questions regarding measures being taken by BACA and PACA, the Lead Commissioner, Commissioner, Schools, Skills and Learning stated that good working relations were in place with the city’s academies. It was suggested that appropriate protocols were put into place and it was explained that a good relationship existed and information was shared and that the LEA wished to support and encourage this.

32.7    The Lead Commissioner, Schools, Skills and Learning stated that an item relating to the manner in which the data collected was processed could be included on Forward Plans to encourage head teachers to utilise the available data as effectively as possible.

32.8    It was agreed that in the follow up report submitted in Spring 2014 would include more detailed information indicating how Brighton & Hove compared nationally. The Strategic Commissioner Standards and Achievements explained that as a large city with which comprised a number of smaller discrete groups within it was sometimes harder to find comparators.

32.9    Councillor Brown considered that it was important to draw out the value added elements too and to extrapolate data in relation to any apparent disparities as well as details of marked improvements for instance in relation to maths. It was noted that there had been strong improvements in the number of pupils making two levels of progress from KS1, although these figures still remained below the national average. Strategies were in place to address this and to seek to continue the year on year improvements that had been seen to date.

32.10  The Strategic Commissioner, Standards and Achievement explained that visits were being made to each of the city’s secondary schools and work was being carried out to encourage sharing of good practice.

32.11  Andrew Jeffery, Parent Forum referred to the training received by teachers working with children at Key Stage 1. He also enquired regarding the number of children who did not sit exams at all and the effect, if any this had on the overall percentage data. It was agreed that it would be possible to extract this information.

32.12    Councillor Wealls referred to work being undertaken with children who were underperforming and were not anticipated to pass their GCSE’s and it was explained that there was a range of strategies in place to assist such children including those who were disaffected in the two year period leading up to their examinations. Pupils who were being educated via the DFE referral unit; or were pupils at special schools were not included in those figures.

32.13  Councillor Gilbey commented on the relatively low take up of free school meals and it was confirmed that discrete campaigns were mounted throughout the school year to encourage a greater level of take up. Councillor Pissaridou expressed concern that this needed to be done in such a way as to ensure that those who had an entitlement were not deterred from taking it up. It was explained that recipients could not be identified.

32.14  In answer to questions by Councillor A Kitcat regarding the apparent disparity between early years performance and that at KS1 (in line with the national average) it was explained that this could be due in part to the manner in which the two different sets of data were collected.

32.15  Councillor Simson stated that whilst the improvements in results were encouraging there was still some way to go in some areas, especially in achieving full participation of 16 year olds in learning, training or employment. It was explained that a number of measures had been put into place to address this by working in partnership with other agencies and schools, colleges and training providers. Key in part to addressing this was addressing issues, particularly with disaffected pupils which led to absenteeism.

32.16  It was also noted that although absence figures had improved over recent years, the figures the figures for secondary schools were still higher than those for England overall and statistical neighbour averages. Each secondary school now had a dedicated member of staff addressing attendance and absenteeism and it was hoped would effect further improvements.

32.17  Councillor Powell stated that she had attended a recent careers day event, which had been attended by only 120 young people from across the city and considered that more focused career work needed to be carried out in schools.

32.18  Councillor A Kitcat referred to the issues which had arisen I relation to the current examination grading issues especially in relation to the GCSE grades awarded for English. There were two elements to this, papers which sat in parallel with the current re-sits which were taking place. The issue of the re-sits was complicated as it was not clear on what basis they were being re-marked. The Chair confirmed that Members would be updated as soon as more information was available.

32.19  RESOLVED – That the Committee receives and notes comments on the standards achieved in Brighton & Hove schools, colleges and settings in 2011/12.