Agenda item - Annual Standards Report

Report of Executive Director of Children’s Services (copy attached)

Contact Officer: Hilary Ferries                    Tel: 293738

34.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Children’s Services which provided an analysis of standards and achievements in the city based on the provisional 2014/15 results at the end of each Key Stage. The report was introduced by the Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion and the Virtual School Head Teacher.

34.2    Councillor Wealls said he was concerned on the gap in attainment for those entitled to the Pupil Premium; in 2007 the gap was 27% and it was now 35%. He said that the Closing the Gap Strategy was not working and the Authority must do all it could to close the gap by challenging schools to do better. The Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion said that the Closing the Gap Strategy was being reviewed.

34.3    Councillor Barradell noted that the results for KS1 were good, but they went down for KS2. The Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion accepted that that was an issue and said the matter was being looked at.

34.4    Councillor Daniels asked if officers had collated information from Ofsted on how the Pupil Premium money was being used and, if so, whether they could advise the Committee. The Assistant Director Education & Inclusion said that a more detailed report would come to the Committee in March 2016 and that information would be included.

34.5    Mr M Jones asked why no data was available for SEN KS4 pupils, and was advised that the information had not been provided by the schools when the report was written.

34.6    Mr M Jones accepted that Ofsted would provide information on how Pupil Premium was being spent, but said that a school would only be inspected every four years and that School Governors were responsible for deciding how that budget was spent, and so they should be asked to explain how the money was used.

34.7    The Chair said that the Authority needed to challenge schools to raise their attainment. Everyone would agree that the gap in pupil attainment needed to be closed. He said that it would be useful for Chair of Governors and Head Teachers of schools in the city to come to a future meeting of the Committee.

34.8    RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the report.