Council tackles school performance following OFSTED results
Havering Council is stepping up the pace in its improvement plan for local schools, as the latest OFSTED league tables showed a “disappointing” percentage of pupils in good or outstanding schools.
New senior managers have been appointed, responsible for education, and an enhanced system of rigorous performance monitoring has been introduced.
The authority will be liaising closely with head teachers and governors to drive up performance. In addition, the Council will be working with the Regional Schools Commissioner on targeted interventions and strategies, including bringing in expertise from other authorities.
The Council will be bringing together headteachers, governors and other partners early in the New Year, to push forward with the Council’s new strategy.
The OFSTED figures showed that Havering primary schools were ranked 132 out of 152 authorities, while secondary schools were 139 out of 152 for this particular measure.
According to OFSTED, 83 percent of Havering primary pupils attended a good or outstanding school in 2015/16, up from 77 percent in 2014/15. Taking into account the most recent inspection outcomes, this has increased to 89 percent since the Ofsted results were calculated, a 12 percent rise on the previous year.
The figures show that 57 percent of secondary pupils were in a good or outstanding school, a rise of one percent on the year before. The combined primary and secondary figure stands at 75 percent (up 8 percent on last year).
The figures in the report cover both local authority maintained schools and academies. The position in Havering is that 14 out of 18 secondary schools and 12 out of 61 primary schools have academy status, which means that they have a larger degree of control over their own affairs.
Despite the disappointment surrounding the overall school rankings, the latest Department for Education attainment figures show Havering primary school pupils to be among the very best in the country for literacy and numeracy at age 11.
Councillor Robert Benham, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning said:
"Although we’re extremely disappointed by these figures, our reinvigorated approach to school improvement and our work with other partners has injected a sense of urgency and pace into our drive to raise standards.
“Havering's primary pupils are in the top five percent nationally for reading, writing and maths at age 11. A-level pupils achieved a pass rate of 99.9 percent and the percentage of young people entering into further education, employment or training at age 16, is amongst the highest in London.”