County council leader Carter demands talks with Ed Balls
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By political editor Paul Francis
County council chiefs are calling for urgent talks with
the secretary of state for education Ed Balls after he announced
plans to send in "troubleshooters" to help Kent’s poorest
performing secondary schools.
County council leader Paul Carter has written to Mr Balls
saying his move is at odds with what Kent County Council has been
told about the progress it is making in lifting classroom standards
at 33 schools which are part of the National Challenge
initiative.
But his letter also reveals that GCSE results at five of
the schools on the Government’s list unexpectedly fell this year.
The schools are not identified.
Under the scheme, the Government says all schools must
achieve 30 per cent of pupils securing five or more GCSE passes at
grades A to C, including maths and English, by 2011.
Kent has the highest number of such schools and the
Government says it is concerned that not enough progress is being
made to reach its target.
In his letter, Cllr Carter says that while results at five
unnamed schools "unexpectedly dipped" this year KCC was well aware
of what needed to be done.
"Not only did 11 of our National Challenge schools exceed
the 2011 target this year, but another 11 are now within four per
cent and are well placed to achieve this in 2010. Of the remaining
11 schools in the National Challenge, six have improved and we feel
are on track to meet the 2011 target, some with structural
solutions already under way. Five schools unexpectedly dipped this
year. The local authority, the school leaders and their national
challenge advisers are in no doubt as to the reasons and the
solutions, and we will be collectively focused on driving further
improvement."
Meanwhile, KCC’s opposition Liberal Democrat group said
Kent’s selective system meant schools were chasing unrealistic
targets.
Education spokesman Cllr Martin Vye said: "Kent’s
selective system clearly leads to a situation where some schools
have greater challenges to face and getting to this target is going
to be extremely difficult. Schools can always do better but the
dice is loaded against them, particularly with the leeching out of
children to grammar schools."
Monday, September 28 2009
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