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TOP MARKS FOR SCHOOLS 27th November 2012
Christmas in colour
Liverpool’s Christmas Market brings festive fun to the city centre shopping scene as thousands of shoppers are attracted to the annual event PICTURE: Emma Lucy Kemmery
Ofsted table reveals success story for pupils across Merseyside
By Rosie Cameron Merseyside primary schools have stormed to the top of a new league table published by the schools watchdog Ofsted earlier today. But despite the rise in standards, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw is critical of the significant differences between local authority areas. Sefton was ranked among the top five in the country for pupils attending either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ primary schools. With a score of 90%, Sefton was came in equal third place, behind Camden, which came top of the table with 92%, and Barnet with 91%. Among the region’s other local authorities, Knowsley also scored highly in eighth place, Wirral reached 19th, while Liverpool came in at 33rd and Chester was in 46th place. Propping up the table in 150th place was Coventry, where only 42% of pupils are attending good or outstanding primary schools. The report highlighted that although schools across the UK have improved drastically within the last 20 years, there is still a lot of work to be done as the gap between the standards is still significant. The number of pupils achieving well “varies unacceptably between similar local areas,” concludes the report. Sir Michael said: “There is marked inequality of access to a good school across the country.
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Teaching is improving but more “Why is it that Coventry has a needs to become consistently good. smaller proportion of pupils attend“In about 37% of schools, ing good or better primary schools pupils experience too much than any local authority area in teaching that is not yet good.” the country? Do parents realise He pointed out that the gap be- this? What is being done about it?” tween the best and Sir Michael was worst performing formerly head of areas ranged from Mossbourne acad92% to below 50%. emy in Hackney, His organisation which education plans to implement secretary Michael a league table that Gove has frequentwill rank local auly held up as an exthorities according ample for schools to Ofsted’s ratings in deprived areas, of their schools. and took over at “Access to good Ofsted in January. education and trainThe Department ing is far too defor Education agreed pendent on where that standards in you happen to live,” some local authorSir Michael said in ities are “simply a video introducnot good enough.” tion to the report. Stephen Twigg, “This is really Gove’s Labour unacceptable. A opposite numchild’s chances of ber, commented: getting into a good “There remains or better school are an arc of underatwice as good in chievement which some local authority is holding back too areas than in others. Percentage of pupils attending good many young people. or outstanding primary schools “Why is it that “Even in David a child living in Derby or Don- Cameron’s backyard of Oxfordcaster local authority areas has shire, there are too many coasting only half the chance of attending a schools. We need to learn from good or better primary or secondsuccess stories like Wigan and ary school compared with a child Darlington to understand why living in Wigan or Darlington? other areas are less successful.”
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