Steve Reddy, Interim Corporate Director, Children’s Services and Lisa Fraser, Director of Education, introduced the item on Education matters.

They took the Board through the information contained in the presentation set out in the agenda papers. They highlighted the excellent results local schools were achieving at KS2 and KS4 and a number of other indicators which showed the strengths of local schools.

However, the Board were being asked to consider two areas for action which were around primary level attendance and results at KS5.

KS5 Performance

Looking at KS5 first, the Board were asked to note that in relation to student progress, the Borough’s schools performed reasonably well, with all being in the top half of the country’s schools for progress but results were still seen as an issue. A lot of students applied to KS5 courses outside of the borough which was also particular concern (this did not used to be the case). The overall situation was being reviewed to develop an action plan.

The Board discussed the issue and came up with a number of suggestions and questions including:

·       Was there a curriculum issue at any of the schools, or generally on the offer across the borough? It was also noted that applied studies did a little better than academic studies.

·       Was there the right amount/right mix of sixth form provision?

·       It was suggested that the overall facilities available be considered in the review, not just facilities relating to the courses themselves.

·       Attainment wasn’t just about going to university, the Council needed to do more to highlight other options available to students. Schools also needed to be encouraged to see things like apprenticeships as a good solution for many students.

·       It was important to look to engage with all communities.

·       What were the exemplars both locally and more widely?

The use of data was a particular point of discussion at the meeting including around:

·       How far could the data be mined to show more about KS5 students and their progress.

·       What could be learnt about the 19% of A level students who didn’t go on to university.

·       Overall, looked after children did better than the national average but it would be useful to see more in-depth data on this cohort.

·       Are there statistics available to track pupils all the way through their schooling?

·       What was the retention rate at university once the students progressed.

·       More comparison data would be useful to see how the figures compared to other similar authorities.

Actions:

·       It was proposed that a specific focus group was required to look at KS5 including schools and external specialists.

·       It was agreed that the action plan, once developed, would be provided to the Board and that more detail on the data available would be circulated as soon as possible.

Primary School Attendance

Looking at school attendance, the board were taken through the presentation in the agenda pack. It was noted that secondary school attendance was always very good and was one of the best (possibly ‘the’ best) in the country. Attendance at primary level starts off poorly but improves as you progress through the schools.

Resourcing of the data team in the council had improved recently, so whilst there was still much to learn, the service were learning more about school attendance and what were the most significant determinants.

Particular points were noted:

·       The Council was looking to speak to specific communities were there were problems and would look to engage with faith communities and the third sector.

·       The Council was also looking at the impact of universal free school meals.

·       It was important to establish good habits even before children started school.

·       The attitude to school attendance from parents appeared to have changed post pandemic and needed attention.

Actions:

·       That more information on the data available be collated and presented to the Board as soon as possible.

·       The Board to be kept updated with progress on this work and to receive further papers if useful.