Agenda item

Proposal to create an Education Sub-Committee on School Performance and Monitoring

Report ED14008

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that provided an update of recent Ofsted and school improvement activity across the Borough.  Since October 2013, there had been five Ofsted Inspections and four Ofsted monitoring visits.  The report on the Ofsted Inspection of Holy Innocents RC Primary School in September 2013 had also been published.  Wickham Common Primary School had been judged as ‘Good’ in its Ofsted Inspection.  Churchfields Primary School, St Anthony’s RC Primary School, Holy Innocents RC Primary School, St Paul’s Cray CE Primary School and St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School had been judged as ‘Requires Improvement’ in their Ofsted Inspections.  Ofsted monitoring visits had been held at Scotts Park Primary School, St John’s CE Primary School, Holy Innocents RC Primary School and Edgebury Primary School.  Following the monitoring visits, St John’s CE Primary School had been assessed as making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures, but the assessment of Scotts Park Primary School highlighted that senior leaders and governors were not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified during the inspection.  The outcome of the Ofsted monitoring visits to Edgebury Primary School and Holy Innocents RC Primary School had not been published at the time of the report.

Two schools with a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating were currently causing concern due to their data and were receiving targeted support.  These were Princes Plain Primary School and Southborough Primary School.  A further ten primary schools would receive a review in early 2014 due to anomalies in their data, and would receive targeted support should the review identify underlying issues. 

In considering the report, the Chairman noted the role of the Governing Body in driving high standards in schools.  A Member highlighted the need for Governing Bodies to have a Constitution which would support Governors in providing rigorous challenge to school operation and improvement.

A Co-opted Member was concerned at the number of schools judged as ‘Requires Improvement’.  A Member also noted that the role the Local Authority had taken in school improvement had been criticised in a number of recent Ofsted reports, including Holy Innocents RC Primary School, and it was important to ensure that targeted support was provided at an early stage where concerns were identified with a school’s performance.  Another Co-opted Member underlined the perceived loss of expertise available to schools from the Local Authority following the closure of the Education Development Centre.  The Portfolio Holder confirmed that targeted support was provided based on the categorisation of schools, and that high performing schools were increasingly offering support to schools where concerns had been identified.  Bromley benefitted from one of the highest numbers of National Leaders of Education across all London Boroughs, and another Co-opted Member informed Members that to be judged as ‘Outstanding’, schools were now required to work across the schools system. 

The Co-opted Member noted that small schools often did not have the same opportunity as larger schools to network or undertake visits to other schools, but that schools were now being encouraged to convert to academy status as multi-academy trusts which could support increased cross-school working.

RESOLVED that recent Ofsted and school improvement activity across the Borough be noted.