GO2 - Press Releases
Dear Sir
The Freedom of Information Act has permitted the public to access national data on the performance of schools. It is now possible for that information to be included in the debate about the reorganisation of schools in Northumberland.
Parents may be interested to know more about who provides the data, what it is used for and who needs it anyway.
Ø The data document, called the PANDA, is sent to schools by Ofsted, the schools’ inspectorate.
Ø It is created for every school in the country and describes the school’s performance in their age appropriate national tests (SATs), matching schools, like with like.
Ø The report is used as the basis for school inspections.
Ø It is used by education authorities to support schools and schools themselves are expected to use it as a tool for school improvement.
Ø The data should be examined year by year to establish any trend.
Ø Headteacher Performance Management discussions also make use of this information.
In short, the data is a national measurement used to assess the success of schools.
It is misleading to suggest that the data is not significant. Like all data it must be used in context.
What Northumberland’s data for 2004 shows is that children are given a very good start and that, by the time they are seven, results in the national tests (Key Stage 1 SATs) place their performance in the top 10% of the country.
The children’s very good progress at Key Stage 1 is not maintained. By the time they are eleven, Key Stage 2 SATs results show that schools’ performance slides from mainly A*, A and B grades to mainly D and E grades.
We believe that one of the main reasons for this disappointing performance is the failure of the three tier system itself which interrupts the children’s learning and provides no accountability for the children’s drifting results.
The three tier system in Northumberland pre-dates the National Curriculum and however hard schools have worked on transition issues, it has not been possible to make up for its inherent flaws.
We believe it is time to change.
If we are to salvage the situation for children now and improve their prospects for the future, we must work together and create a more up to date, more forwards looking service designed to offer top quality opportunities.
We believe we must make these important changes to the education system if we are to begin to regenerate our beautiful but disadvantaged county.
IF YOU WISH TO SEE A COPY OF THESE PANDA GRADES - CONTACT GO2 BY E-MAIL (LINK ON FRONT PAGE) OR REQUEST FROM NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.
Dear sir
First school head teachers representing the majority of first schools in Northumberland have come out in favour of a change of organisation to the education service in the county.
To date the debate has largely been one sided and it is important that, as the first period of consultation comes to an end, a more balanced view is made known.
It should be noted that the reluctance of first schools to enter into a public row with colleagues should not be mistaken either for weakness nor for indifference.
We acknowledge that are likely to be job losses, that they are most likely to be in the middle school sector and that such a prospect must be a major concern to colleagues working in those schools. What ever happens, we know that around forty of Northumberland’s first and middle schools will have to close.
Most first schools have agreed to interview teachers and support staff from the middle school sector who wish to pursue their careers in primary education and to support training programmes to facilitate such a move.
We strongly believe that the opportunity offered by the current administration must be taken if we are to put things right.
The charge that first schools are acting in their own self interest is disingenuous and demeans the debate.
The main reasons for our support for the County Council’s proposals are as follows:
1) The two tier system supports the framework of the National Curriculum.
2) It demands and delivers accountability.
3) Standards would without doubt improve if children were not twice interrupted unnecessarily in the middle of Key Stages. Years of work on transition issues have done nothing to lessen the negative impact of the moves.
4) 50% of Northumberland’s teachers are over 50. Applications for jobs are dwindling as teachers opt instead to work in the primary or secondary sectors for fear of damaging their promotion prospects
5) The latest report from the Chief Inspector of Schools shows that, in the last year of inspections, 291 primary schools were ‘particularly successful’. Only 2 middle schools fell into that category. Even allowing for the fact that there are many more primary schools than middle schools, the proportion is what counts.
6) PANDA grades for all the schools in the county demonstrate the success of first schools and the very good start given to the county’s children. Unfortunately that success in not consolidated and middle school grades show poor value added. Even if we only take account of the free school meals measure, the middle school results on the whole, look poor by comparison. Some middle schools are able to demonstrate good value added and good progress but they are in the minority.
7) The population of Northumberland is falling and expected to continue to do so. There are too many schools for the numbers of children. Some schools are in an appalling condition and some are unsuitable for their purpose. Without major educational reorganisation, some areas are at risk of losing their first schools. Reorganisation to a two tier system will strengthen the viability of these schools and protect their communities.
8) Funding for Key Stage 2 is unequally shared between first and middle schools. Middle schools have claimed that they provide specialist teaching at Key Stage 2
but first school teachers are all primary trained and some schools are already teaching Year 5 work. In addition, an increasing number of first schools now teach traditionally ‘specialist’ areas of the curriculum such as modern foreign languages.
9) We believe that, as community leaders and major employers, schools must play their part responsibly in this most important project, redesigning the education system for not only this but also for future generations of children. The County Council is proposing to give schools its full attention and councillors should be supported in that proposal.
10) In order to persuade the government to invest in Northumberland, we believe we must demonstrate our willingness and capability to effect and manage change.
For these reasons, we are committing our schools to work in support of the proposed changes.
Peter Ayres Headteacher Wooler First School
Jill Dove Headteacher Burnside First School
Michael Bell Headteacher Morpeth Road First School
Charles Ellis Headteacher Croftway First School
Julie Bowman Headteacher Malvins Close First School
Kevin Vardy Headteacher Ellington First School
Dianne Greenwood Headteacher Abbeyfields First School
Alan Keenlyside Headteacher Prudhoe West First School