Officers will be on hand to talk through the Educational challenges and plans for the area.
Minutes:
Officers were on hand to discuss the educational challenges in the area and the plans for the future.
Margaret Libreri, Director – Learning Services, explained the City Council responsibilities in the area and specifically explained that the continued drift of pupils from City Council to County Council schools in the area had presented some significant educational sustainability issues in the area. The following key points were also made:
· Riverside Business and Enterprise College didn’t have any natural feeder Primary Schools;
· There were no specific plans to make changes to the character or organisation of Primary Schools;
· Recent educational outcomes had seen significant improvements across all the Key Stages but that only one school in the area was above the citywide achievement average at the first stage of assessment;
· That some achievement figures were unacceptably low;
· That attendance statistics varied insignificantly from the citywide average therefore low achievement wasn’t down to non attendance; and
· Rather, it was about the quality of teaching and experiences whilst at school and the support available outside.
In response, residents raised the following questions/concerns:
· Children couldn’t do their times tables so we should move back to the old ways of teaching;
· School holidays are too long and the pupil forget information between terms;
· What are the pupil – teacher ratios across the city;
· Responsibility for the continued learning of children also comes from the home and the parents;
In response it was stated that some schools were above the national average in the city and it was therefore about getting the management, quality of teaching and support levels correct; that schools have to open for a specific number of days per year and the crucial question is what’s provided in the summer holiday to complement learning; and that those children with English as a second or additional language, coming from impoverished backgrounds, or new to the country were more likely to have lower attainment.
In relation to the secondary school provision in the area, the recent results and overall achievement of Riverside Business and Enterprise College was commended.
The concept of National Challenge Schools, i.e. those schools consistently performing significantly below average, was explained to residents. Specifically, the following points were made:
· That Riverside was a National Challenge School;
· That the Riverside suffered from the changing school population during the year;
· That children from 33 primary schools attended Riverside, which demonstrated the challenges faced:
· That attendance levels were on average about 90%, below the national target of 94%;
· That 22% of pupils were Not in Education, Employment of Training (NEET) upon leaving therefore may not have received a curriculum that met their needs; and
· That Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 attainment levels were still below that required levels.
The future of Riverside was also discussed and it was confirmed that a consultation process was ongoing that addressed the position and needs of the school, including closure; that there was a planning restriction on the reuse of the playing fields should the school be closed meaning that the playing fields could not be redeveloped; and that the Ward Councillors were working with the Governors and the school to oppose closure. It was also confirmed that the final decision on the future of Riverside would be taken by Cabinet, and that all residents would be informed of the date of this in advance of the meeting.
In relation to Fulhurst Community College, it was confirmed that previously the school had been placed in special measures by Ofsted; that a new leadership team, including a new Executive Head, was in post; and that they were working in partnership with Rushey Mead School, which had been acknowledged as an outstanding school, in order to share learning and expertise. Finally, it was also confirmed that the concept of developing Academies in Leicester had been extensively considered, and that the Council was committed to local solutions rather than outsourcing education.