A report to consider School Standards and Attainment, and priorities and planned activity to improve attainment.

The Committee received a report to consider the Annual School Standards and Attainment report for the 2022-2023 academic year, and the priorities and activity to further improve attainment. A copy of Brighter Futures for Children's Annual School Standards and Achievement Report 2022-2023 was attached to the report.

The report set out how Brighter Futures for Children, on behalf of Reading Borough Council, supported statutory duties regarding education and school standards in support of the Council’s strategic priorities and policies. The report used verified examination data and so related to the previous academic year (2022/23), not the current academic year.

The report explained that schools had been implementing research informed approaches to improve standards, with most schools being judged positively by Ofsted and in findings from school effectiveness assurance activities. However, schools were not yet closing gaps with national performance quickly enough. It was noted that actions taken in the autumn term since the July 2023 School Standards report presented to ACE Committee formed the basis of a proposed Education Strategy, for further consideration by ACE Committee at a future meeting.

The School Standards report informed the annual update of approach to working with schools in Reading, as set out in the Strategic Framework for School Effectiveness 2024/2025, appended to the report.

The report explained that 8 January marked the first anniversary of the death of Ruth Perry, a beloved colleague, peer and friend to so many in the education community. School leaders continued to be supported individually and in groups as the community continued to come to terms with the loss of Ruth, and the Education Partnership Board was maintaining collective prioritisation on school leader wellbeing.  HM Coroner had conducted an inquest into the death of Ruth which concluded on 7 December 2023. The inquest recorded a narrative conclusion of suicide, contributed to by an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2022. HM Coroner published a Prevention of future deaths report on 19 December 2023, requesting Department for Education, Ofsted and Reading Borough Council to respond to identified matters of concern.

It was noted that work had been undertaken with schools on the actions being taken in response to the Coroner’s findings, which had aligned strongly with the work being undertaken with the Education Partnership Board, enhancing and developing current practice and enshrining this practice in the School Effectiveness Framework for Reading. The response of Reading Borough Council to the regulation 28 report and the School Effectiveness Framework for Reading were appended to the report.

The report explained that a more strategic and cohesive approach to collective action to improve outcomes for children had developed over the past year, building on the report presented to ACE Committee in July 2023. The Education Partnership Board had endorsed the following priorities:

·         Developing school-to school support and challenge through the Education Partnership Board.

·         Promotion of positive wellbeing for school leaders and school staff.

·         Targeting of intervention and support to raise standards and progress of pupils at schools with the poorest results, informed by an increasingly sophisticated understanding of inequalities outcomes for disadvantaged groups.

·         Building governor capacity, skills and oversight to enhance support and challenge.

·         Implementing a Borough-wide teaching staff recruitment and retention strategy.

Actions to deliver the priority areas had been coordinated and progressed through the Education Partnership Board. Progress and next steps were summarised by the following priorities:

·         Priority 1: Developing school-to school support and challenge through the Education Partnership Board;

·         Priority 2: Promotion of positive wellbeing for school leaders and school staff;

·         Priority 3: Targeting of intervention and support to raise standards and progress of pupils at schools with the poorest results, informed by an increasingly sophisticated understanding of inequalities outcomes for disadvantaged groups;

·         Priority 4: Building governor capacity, skills and oversight to enhance support and challenge;

·         Priority 5: Implementing a Boroughwide teaching staff recruitment and retention strategy.

Simon Uttley, Headteacher of Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School, and Vice-Chair of the Reading Education Partnership Board; and Andrea O’Niel, Federation Head of Inclusion, Katesgrove Primary School, were present at the meeting for the item and addressed the Committee and answered questions on their experiences, work and roles as school leaders within the local school system.

The report explained that the Council had high ambition to provide opportunity for all of children and young people to thrive in education and succeed. It was proposed that the current strategic approach to supporting improved educational outcomes and school effectiveness was further developed and captured in a Boroughwide Education Strategy, capturing the wider work with business, community and cultural organisations to improve educational outcomes for Reading children, this would be submitted for consideration at the next ACE Committee. This would include further learning from the independent learning review currently underway.

Resolved –

(1)          That the position regarding school standards and attainment, as set out in the report, be noted;

(2)          That the priorities and current and planned activity to further improved attainment, with a focus on reducing inequalities, be endorsed;

(3)          That the Council’s response to HM Coroner’s regulation 28 report and actions being taken, be noted;

(4)          That the Strategic Framework for School Effectiveness 2024-2025, including policy commitments in response to HM Coroner’s Regulation 28 report, be endorsed;

(5)          That a presentation of a Boroughwide Education Strategy 2024-2030 at a forthcoming ACE Committee, be supported.

(Councillor Cresswell declared a non-pecuniary interest in the item relating to his work in the alternative provision education sector)