Parents have contacted me this week to defend local schools in response to the letter written by Ofsted Regional Director Bradley Simmons. Others however have contacted me to demand that local schools improve quickly so that there is a good choice when it comes to their children’s education.
Both sides have valid concerns. The letter by Mr Simmons fails to acknowledge that there has been progress and credit should be given where it is due. It also uses some statistics in a questionably selective way. But it does raise concerns that need to be addressed and highlights areas where improvement needs to be delivered.
In the first instance, it is misleading to state that children are being ‘failed at every level’ when Mr Simmons’ own body Ofsted has rated 92% of Primary Schools as good or outstanding. Swindon’s primary schools have begun a positive transformation in recent years, and this is clear based both on Ofsted’s ratings and the feedback I receive from local parents.
Secondly, progress is already being made in some of our secondary schools. Nova Hreod has seen the percentage of its students achieving 5 grades of A* to C (including English & Maths) at GCSE level rise by 32% in two years. Similarly, 61% of students at Swindon Academy achieved 5 grades of A* to C (including English & Maths) at GCSE level in 2016, a rise of 21% from 2014.
I visit all of the schools in North Swindon on a regular basis so am able to see first-hand the hard work of the teachers and pupils who are making progress. However as Mr Simmonds points out, the assessment results are not yet where they should be in schools across Swindon.
This year was the first in which primary school pupils have been assessed under the new more rigorous system. The results are not directly comparable to the previous system of assessment, however results across the country have shown that the majority of children have achieved the new higher standard expected of them. We should be aiming for the same here in Swindon.
When it comes to our secondary schools, we are facing significant challenges. Recent Ofsted inspections have shown a trend of decline in five secondary schools and I am particularly disappointed to see that only 17.3% of pupils managed to achieve the English Baccalaureate (which focuses on the core academic skills that employers & HE institutions value).
Leadership in schools is key to driving up standards and ensuring all young people get the good education they deserve. In Swindon we now, on the whole, have a dedicated and experienced group of head teachers who are committed to making improvements. However this has not always been the case and has, in some cases, had an adverse long-term effect on the progress of some of our schools. Furthermore a number of our local schools are extremely hindered by costly PFI contracts which were signed off by the last Labour Government. These contracts divert a significant amount of funding away from the front line budget.
Nationally Robert Buckland MP and I will continue to push for the introduction of a fairer funding formula at the earliest opportunity to ensure every school will have funding matched to need. These historic reforms will bring an end to the unfairness in the school funding system, which Swindon has been an unfortunate victim of. The Government has already indicated support for this reform and is looking to implement it by 2018.
Locally we are meeting with the Regional Schools Commissioner today, and I have arranged an urgent meeting with the Minister for School Standards. I will also be requesting a face to face meeting with Bradley Simmons to discuss further the contents of his letter.
When it comes to our local schools, we should be aiming to achieve the very best. Anything less is a disservice to parents and students.
