Medway among the worst authorities for primary school results
by Dan Bloom
Medway Council is among the worst five councils in England for
primary school results.
The Department for Education has named and shamed the authority
as part of a bid to improve what it claims are under-performing
schools.
The ranking is based on the percentage of schools not attaining
a new, tougher floor standard of 60% of Year 6 pupils gaining Level
4 in English and Maths.
In Medway 11% of schools did not make the new grade, ranking the
council equally with Peterborough and Kirklees. Only Portsmouth and
Nottingham did worse.
This is despite the best-ever number of pupils meeting the floor
standard across the Towns at 72%, up from 68% last year and
65% three years ago.
Chatham MP Tracey Crouch has sought an urgent meeting with
council officers over the results.
She wrote on her website: "These are obviously very
disappointing figures.
"While there have been some improvements in challenging schools,
the overall headline figure for Medway remains well below the
national average and I will be seeking a meeting with Medway
Council to discuss the issue at the earliest opportunity."
Eight primary schools in Medway have not made the grade, meaning
they could be forced to become academies if they are not
already.
The Department for Education said in a statement: "Schools with
a long history of under-performance, and who are not stepping up to
the mark, face being taken over by an Academy sponsor.
"The expertise and strong leadership provided by sponsors is the
best way to turn around weak schools and give pupils there the best
chance of a first-class education."
The primary schools below the 60% floor standard in Medway
are:
Saxon Way Primary School, Gillingham (42%)
Glencoe Junior School, Chatham (45%) (already an academy)
Luton Junior School, Chatham (53%)
All Faith's Community School, Strood (53%) (already an
academy)
Kingfisher Primary School, Chatham (54%)
Burnt Oak Primary School, Gillingham (55%)
Cuxton Junior School, Cuxton (56%)
Lordswood School, Chatham (57%)
Barbara Peacock, director of children and adult services at
Medway Council, said: “We are working intensively with schools
where improvements are needed to ensure that they progress as
quickly as they can.
“While these are the highest results ever for the area, it also
shows that they have not risen at as fast a pace as they have at
schools in other local authority areas across the country and there
is still more work to be done.
“The improvement in our results gives us the confidence that we
are focusing on the right things to raise performance and
aspirations for our children.
"As the overall figures are averages, it is worth pointing out that
they do not highlight the significant number of children, or
primary schools, that have achieved outstanding results, with
several seeing a 20% rise in their results in just one year. I
would like to congratulate each and every one of them as well as
their teachers for their hard work and efforts."
Kent County Council fared better than neighbouring Medway,
ranking 97 out of the 150 authorities in England.
A total of 78% of pupils achieved level four in English and
Maths at key stage 2.
13/12/12
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