The Director of Children, Schools and Families introduced the School Standards Report and answered some points of clarification made by Members.

Celia Dawson, Head of Cricket Green School, and Chair of the School Effectiveness Partnership spoke to the Panel and gave an overview of the achievements and progress of pupils at Cricket Green School.  She explained that special schools cannot be compared  as each cohort will differ. Special Schools will consider the child as a whole, and work on achievements in social skills, communication skills and employment, with the aim of learning skills that will increase independence. Some children will be entered for accreditation and national initiatives such as functional skills in maths and English, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Arts subjects and employability training. Pupils at Cricket Green School have succeeded in obtaining qualifications that allow them to progress to College and/or employment.

The Panel thanked Celia Dawson and said that wonderful to hear about the success of the school.

The Head of School Improvement provided additional information in response to questions about the School Standards Report:

·         We are aware that certain groups of children are making less progress, we do scrutinize this and bring schools together to improve outcomes.

·         We challenge any under attainment and have ambition. Our Key Stage 1 Maths results are above the national average and have been rising in recent years. We have to ensure that progress is realistic and accurate, often where attainment is low children have still made great progress.

·         If a School receives a ‘Requires Improvement’ from OFSTED then a Support and Challenge group of Officers will meet with the School to look at teaching and learning progress. The School will receive a high level of support between meetings according to the areas of need

·         We do not have a high level of involvement with Academy Schools. Benedict School does access some support and some of their results are improving.

·         We seek to maximize outcomes for Early Years, but children do start Early Years at very different levels, and we must be mindful of SEMH issues

·         Whilst children growing up in poverty are less likely to get good results this gap is narrowing. Pupil Premium numbers are published, and school can run initiatives to support such students

·         Early Years Children are all starting from different levels. Key Stage 1&2 writing was an area of concern in the past but has now significantly improved. There is a national Moderator in the Merton team, this is not necessarily replicated in other Local Authorities.

·         Key Stage 4; past figures cannot be compared because of changes in GSCE marking. Our recent figures are above London Averages.

·         A level results are highlighted in the Executive Summary. We are working with schools and have a robust plan to improve in place, including skilling up teachers.

·         Our Key Stage 2 Reading is 8th in the country and maths is 6th in progress, with strong progress comes rise in attainment.

·         Will provide figures for post 16s who don’t pass Maths and English

The Head of Inclusion provided additional information in response to questions about the School Standards Report:

·         Persistent Absenteeism, defined as 10% or more, is mainly the result of illness, and children need the appropriate support for their illness. We have a low level in Merton. SEN and MH issues can increase absence rates.

·         We can use legal powers, starting with penalty warning letters to parents if necessary.

·         We do prosecute and fine for taking children out of school to go on Holiday

·         Will provide figures and revenue figures for these fines.

·         We can refer to the Children Missing Education Panel, this works across agencies to challenge and support and look at all the factors blocking children from attending school

The Director of Children Schools and Families provided additional information in response to questions about the School Standards Report:

·         The number of children in Home Education in rising across the Country, but there is no evidence that Schools are forcing children into Home Education. There are a number of possible reasons for Home education. The School Environment can be very challenging for some children particularly those who are not attaining, those with SEN or SEMH needs and those being bullied.

·         Schools need to achieve a balance between increasing attainment and having an environment that promotes child’s mental health.

·         Parents of SEN children may exercise their right to Home Education until the right placement is found.

·         We do evaluate the quality of Home Education and if it is not meeting needs then we can put a school attendance order in place.

·         EHCP funding is an area of challenge, there is a rising demand, we are spending more but not meeting all needs.

·         Have to think about what ‘good’ looks like, it is different for different children. Children are ready at different times, they are all individual people – we can follow the data but it is only a snapshot; the 2017 cohort is completely different to 2018 cohort. It is Important to emphasise that all children are individuals, and cohorts will be different, these differences are not for lack of a plan.