Decision details

4.1      Angela Scattergood – Director of Education Services introduced the item and stressed that the report contained provisional results. Further information would be available following the statistical release in late January/ early February.

4.2      Sandra Roberts, the new Director of Lewisham Learning was introduced to the committee.

4.3      The following was noted in discussion:

1.    The Committee was very disappointed by the provisional results.

2.    Efforts to improve progress between KS2 and KS4 were focusing on

a.    Progress - learning from this set of results and making changes for this year’s Y11 pupils

b.    Improving transition

c.    Curriculum – building on previous learning and offering a balanced curriculum, teaching for learning rather than for testing.

3.    Teacher assessments and predictions throughout the year had not been accurate, and this needed to be tightened up.

4.    Teaching in Science and Maths needed improvement.

5.    A priority for Lewisham Learning would be to visit each individual school and support them to deliver different results this year.

6.    Members were frustrated that the Committee had made recommendations on how to improve transition three years ago yet transition was still being identified as an area that needed improvement. Officers explained that transition was continually being improved.

7.    Some of the recommendations had been implemented and had improved transition, for example, for children with SEND. However, other recommendations had not ‘stuck’ as schools needed to be on board.

8.    Greenwich and Lambeth had had similarly poor Progress 8 scores as Lewisham, which prompted one Member to wonder whether there was a wider issue.

9.    Plans were afoot for Lewisham schools to learn from Camden schools to facilitate school improvement.

10.The phonics check is a standardised test and schools put support in place to prepare all children for it, including support for those with English as an additional language, and SEND.

11.Achievement of poorer achievers in EYFS is part of the Early Years strategy, which sits beneath the Education Strategy, which is overarching.

12.The Cabinet Member for School Performance and Children’s Services said that tackling the achievement gap had to start in primary schools. The figures seemed worse at secondary school because Lewisham’s secondary population was not comprehensive, as many higher achieving children were going out of borough for secondary school.

13.Despite the disappointing results, recent Ofsted inspections had recognised the improvement in Lewisham’s secondary schools.

4.4      It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.