Justin Tomlinson MP with Seven Fields' Head Zita McCormick
As North Swindon’s MP, I regularly visit schools in my constituency, all with their own particular successes and stories to tell, but my recent visit to Seven Fields Primary School in Penhill has left a real impression.
Seven Fields is a school rated by Ofsted as Outstanding, having been transformed despite real challenges. Only three years ago, it gained an Outstanding in just one category; it has now achieved this highest rating overall. 100% of Seven Fields’ pupils are classified as living in poverty and 70% qualify for free school meals. Children enter nursery typically 18 to 24 months behind the average for their age group. The school’s success in itself is impressive, but its staring point makes it all the more outstanding.
The relationship the school has with children and their parents starts from birth. The school’s two community rooms run sessions for babies, toddlers and their mothers twice a week. Here, the children have early contact with paediatricians and play specialists whilst the parents get the parenting support many need, from help with effective discipline to help supporting their child’s educational development. This early targeting is, as Head Zita McCormick said, a little in your face, but the relationship and contract the school builds with parents is a key part of closing the gap. Children may enter nursery lagging far behind the national average, but by the time they leave pre-school they have caught up.
What most struck me was not so much the academic transformation, however impressive this in itself is. What is so remarkable about the school, and perhaps why its impression has been so lasting, is its provision of an education that tackles not just the academic challenges the children face, but the social ones too. The focus is very much on building independence and building a respect for, and relationship with, the local community. Volunteers from the Penhill Luncheon Club come to read with children to help get them reading on their own. The same group of elderly volunteers are helping put on a fashion show for the Queen’s Jubilee, bringing old and young together to look at 60 years of fashion. When the Pehnill estate got new Housing Wardens, the children went out with them as junior wardens, helping to spot graffiti and other problems in their community.
As a result, behaviour is impeccable. I met with the School Council, all of whom had explained why they wanted to lead before being elected by their peers. They explained to me the problem solving tasks they have been given, from how to stop running in the corridors to safety when wearing their own clothes on a trip to London. I talked to them about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Their ambitions ranged from lawyers to teachers to dentists, ambitions that drew upon a confidence and independence that the school has encouraged in them.
I have already shared the success of this remarkable school with Schools Minister Nick Gibb and have invited him to come and visit. I would be delighted for him to come and see for himself the difference the Government’s Pupil Premium is making. Introduced by the Coalition, the extra £488 of funding per child in receipt of free school meals, delivered straight into the school budget, is designed to provide extra support to children from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure a level playing field in education. At Seven Fields, it has enabled the Head to halve class sizes at the crucial Key Stage 1 period, to ensure that every child gets reading confidently and competently. It is also enabling her to extend free school meals to a further 10% of pupils, those who do not quite qualify but who would really benefit. Above all however, the visit is a real opportunity to showcase at a national level the success of Penhill’s children. This is a school that should be replicated across the country and I look forward to sharing Seven Fields’ achievements with the Minister.