Agenda item

Context:

To receive the latest educational attainment data allowing the service to be held to account.  This includes:

•           Performance of pupils at the end of Key Stages 4 and 5.

•           A breakdown, where possible of performance across all key stages for the following groups:

-           Girls and Boys.

-           Pupils who are eligible for free school meals (eFSM).

Key Issues:

·         Draws together the headline messages from a number of more detailed analyses which are included as appendices to the report.

·         Contains a wealth of information enabling members to drill down from authority level data to figures for specific learner groups.

·         Comparisons are provided from 2011/12 which was the academic year prior to the last full Estyn inspection.

·         Enables the Select Committee to look beyond those high level measures to some of the detail that sits underneath. 

Key Stage 4

·      Monmouthshire saw a minimal increase by 0.1 percentage point to 67.0% in the headline Key Stage 4 indicator – the Level 2 Threshold including English / Welsh & Maths, compared to 66.9% in 2015 and 56.3% in 2012.

·      Monmouthshire moved down to 3rd place from 1^st in the Wales local authority rankings for Level 2 Threshold including English / Welsh & Maths.

Key Stage 5

·      Performance improved in the percentage of pupils achieving the Level 3 Threshold, with 99.1% achieving the benchmark, an increase from the 97.9% in 2015.

Member Scrutiny:

·      Free School Meals (FSM) gap – What is key is how the Authority identifies the early need of support required by FSM pupils. Working with the EAS there are now bespoke intervention plans in place for English and maths for all secondary schools.

·      It was noted that in English, boys are underperforming, which needs to be improved.  The change in the curriculum is leading to more technical accuracy in English language as opposed to English literature which should aid boys.  The risk around English language this year is that it is a new qualification and schools have not taught it before.

·      Self-evaluation and target setting – Some of Monmouthshire’s schools were closer to their targets than other schools. Target setting is a process and we as an authority are working closely with our schools from Foundation Phase to Key Stage 4. Targets have been verified and pupil level data has been analysed to ensure that the targets are reliable.

·      We are not where we would like to be in terms of our outcomes achieved last summer.  The work that is being undertaken this year puts us in the right direction to break the 70%.  The challenge will be the new qualifications and this might have an effect across the whole of Wales.

·      The Authority continues to work with its schools. It has a close relationship with both primary and secondary schools.

·      Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) – the Authority has commissioned the Education Achievement Service (EAS) to drive forward this piece of work.

·      Courses and training is on offer via the EAS for teachers regarding Free School Meals (FSM) provision.

·      The plans that schools produce on how they spend their PDG - The challenge adviser works with the Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team regarding how they spend that money and whether the money has made a difference.

·      In response to a Select Committee Member’s question regarding BTEC courses it was noted that BTEC qualifications do contribute to the outcomes.  It is important for students to have a curriculum that is right for them.

·      The Authority works closely with schools to make sure that it is understanding where they are in terms of their tracking and children’s progress against their targets.

·      It is important that there is consistency across the four comprehensive schools within Monmouthshire.

·      In the coming years there might be some predictable volatility due to the changes in examinations.  For all of the schools across the region, the EAS has delivered some of the grant money and funding in order for them to join an organisation around partnership in excellence.