Performance league tables were published for primary schools in England in 2009, based on children's standard assessment ('sats') results at age 11 in English, maths, and science. There were 268 schools where all pupils were working at the expected level in all three subjects – down from 329 in the previous year. There were 884 schools where more than one-half of the pupils moved up to secondary school without the required level of maths and English – up from 798. The proportion of pupils overall achieving the expected level – national curriculum level 4 – in both English and maths was 72 per cent, a decrease of one percentage point from the previous year, and still short of the government target of 78 per cent by 2011.
Source: 2009 Primary School (Key Stage 2) Achievement and Attainment Tables, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Link to tables | DCSF press release | ATL press release | BHA press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Dec
The government published an action plan and timetable for making further improvements in secondary school performance in England.
Source: Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future: Timetable for Action – Secondary Schools, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Dec
A report by a committee of MPs said that where a parent took the view that a school had failed their child – and that their only option was to withdraw the child from the school – there should be an independent assessment, with the school asked to respond to the findings.
Source: The Review of Elective Home Education, Second Report (Session 2009-10), HC 39, House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | Christian Institute report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Dec
An article examined claims for the effectiveness of school improvement programmes. Many claims of school improvement were illusory. Nevertheless, there were some improvement strategies that were well-defined, feasible, and shown to be effective. In future, there was a need for greater clarity and agreement about what constituted success. Evaluation needed to be taken more seriously, and its results treated more critically.
Source: Robert Coe, 'School improvement: reality and illusion', British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 57 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Dec
The government announced plans for primary school improvement in England. Local authorities were asked to respond by the end of March 2010 with a plan outlining how they would help their schools to become 'world class primaries'. The 12 local authorities with the highest proportion of schools that had been below the standards 'floor' for some years were asked to produce an action plan by end of January 2010. The strategy was supported by funding totalling £900 million.
Source: Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future: Building a 21st Century Schools System – Timetable for action, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Strategy | Letter | DCSF press release | ATL press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Dec
The inspectorate for education and children's services examined provision for the most gifted and talented pupils. Although most of the (26) schools visited recognized that improving provision for gifted and talented pupils was important, it was not their highest priority. All had a policy for gifted and talented pupils: but many of them were generic, and these were not sufficiently effective in improving performance.
Source: Gifted and Talented Pupils in Schools, HMI 090132, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Dec
The inspectorate for education and children's services published its annual report for 2008-09. It highlighted a 'picture of overall improvement' in care, education, and skills in England. But it said that the number of 'failing' children's services departments had doubled since the previous year, and that England's schools were being held back by a 'stubborn core' of bad teachers.
Source: The Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills 2008/09, HC 11, Office for Standards in Education, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NASUWT press release | ATL press release | AOC press release | UCU press release | Conservative Party press release | Community Care report | Guardian report | BBC report | Telegraph report | Local Government Chronicle report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2009-Nov
A think-tank report said that the state school system was failing those most reliant on it – in particular, white working-class and black Caribbean boys. It was failing to teach them basic skills, to socialize them, and to open up opportunities to the brightest of them. The cause of this crisis was the 'capture' of schools and teacher training colleges by the 'education orthodoxy'. Effective teaching methods had been discarded in favour of 'child-centred' learning; teachers were treated as operatives rather than professionals; standards of discipline had 'collapsed'; and the curriculum had been 'destroyed'.
Source: Harriet Sergeant, Wasted: The betrayal of white working class and black Caribbean boys, Centre for Policy Studies (020 7222 4488)
Links: Report | CPS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Nov
A report said that a lack of evidence meant that very little could be concluded about the impact of schools with a Christian ethos upon their pupils.
Source: Elizabeth Green, Mapping the Field: A review of the current research evidence on the impact of schools with a Christian ethos, Theos (020 7828 7777) and Stapleford Centre
Links: Report | Theos press release | Ekklesia press release | Church Times report
Date: 2009-Nov
A new book examined the role of faith schools, and the impact of a religious upbringing.
Source: Graham Haydon (ed.), Faith in Education, Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Links: IOE press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A study commissioned by the Church of England found that, among secondary schools, faith schools appeared to have made a better start than community schools at meeting the legal duty of maintained schools in England to promote community cohesion.
Source: David Jesson, Strong Schools for Strong Communities: Reviewing the impact of Church of England schools in promoting community cohesion, Church of England (020 7898 1326)
Links: Report | C of E press release | Christian Institute press release | BHA press release | Ekklesia report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Nov
The inspectorate for education and children's services highlighted examples of outstanding primary schools where children in disadvantaged communities reached high standards, and sought to identify the factors in their success.
Source: Twenty Outstanding Primary Schools: Excelling against the odds, HMI 090170, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Oct
The government said, based on early indications from local authorities, that in 2009 fewer than 270 secondary schools in England would remain below the minimum standard (of at least 30 per cent of pupils gaining 5 A-C grades at GCSE including maths and English). The number of schools below the minimum standard had dropped nearly 40 per cent from 440 in the previous year – the largest drop since 1997. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Press release 22 September 2009, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: DCSF press release | ATL press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Sep
A report said that raw scores published by the government to show how well schools and pupils had done in exams could be highly misleading, and ought to be accompanied by a 'health warning' or disclaimer. Raw scores were only a snapshot of a particular pupil's performance at a particular time and did not take into account their prior attainment, background, or errors made by exam markers.
Source: Warwick Mansell, Mary James and Assessment Reform Group, Assessment in Schools: Fit for purpose? – A commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | TLRP press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Aug
An audit report said that the government was achieving its aim of promoting partnering in secondary education in England. 87 per cent of schools worked with other schools and organizations on improving attainment and behaviour – and headteachers were clear that partnering was delivering very substantial benefits that supported school improvement. But partnering had 'yet to realize its full potential'.
Source: Partnering for School Improvement, HC 822 (Session 2008-09), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Summary | NAO press release
Date: 2009-Jul
The inspectorate for education and children's services published a revised framework for the inspection of maintained schools in England from September 2009. There would be more frequent inspections for schools that were inadequate or satisfactory, and a longer interval for those judged good or outstanding. There would be no more 'light touch', one-day, inspections. Better performing schools would be inspected once in a five-year period provided they did not give cause for concern.
Source: Framework for the Inspection of Maintained Schools in England from September 2009, HMI 090019, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Framework | OFSTED press release | NASUWT press release | ATL press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Jun
An audit report said that schools in England could save £400 million a year if they improved procurement practices. Schools were also holding cash reserves of nearly £2 billion: almost 2 out of 5 schools held more than the recommended amount, and these excessive balances totalled over £500 million.
Source: Valuable Lessons: Improving economy and efficiency in schools, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Jun
Researchers examined how much variation in pupil outcomes was accounted for by school leadership. There were 'statistically significant' and 'qualitatively robust' associations between the educational values, qualities, and strategic actions of headteachers and improvement in school conditions and pupil outcomes.
Source: Christopher Day et al., The Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes: Final Report, Research Report RR108, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2009-Jun
The education inspectorate in Scotland identified key factors in school improvement, based on evidence from around 300 follow-through inspections carried out between 2005 and 2008.
Source: Learning Together: Lessons about school improvement, HM Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (01506 600200)
Links: Report | HMIE press release
Date: 2009-Jun
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that standards in English in schools had risen since 2004 – but that the rate of improvement had been slow.
Source: English at the Crossroads: An evaluation of English in primary and secondary schools, 2005/08, HMI 080247, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report examined the impact of the specialist schools programme, including the programme for special educational needs. It concluded that good progress was being made in implementing the programme, and that it was having a positive impact on school performance.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers, High Performing Specialist Schools: Final Evaluation Report, Research Report RR109, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jun
The inspectorate for education and children's services published its annual report for 2008-09.
Source: Departmental Report 2008-09, Cm 7597, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report said that students in English secondary schools that had been modernized using the private finance initiative scheme (PFI) achieved improved results more quickly than schools that had been rebuilt traditionally.
Source: PFI in School Building: Does it influence educational outcomes?, KPMG (020 7311 1000)
Links: Report | KPMG press release
Date: 2009-May
A study found that highly able pupils in the most deprived state schools on average achieved half a grade less per GCSE than highly able pupils in the most advantaged schools. One factor contributing to such differences was a 'peer effect', by which pupils benefited from being educated with other pupils with high levels of attainment, and low levels of deprivation. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Attainment Gaps Between Pupils in the Most Deprived and Advantaged Schools, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2009-May
A study examined the needs and preferences of parents in terms of information about schools, and in particular their reactions to the idea of a 'school report card'. Parents were very suspicious that the proposed report card would be too oriented towards academic performance, and that it would 'bury' bad news within an overall category score. A linked study gathered the views of a sample of adults, a minority of whom were parents.
Source: Counterpoint Research, School Accountability and School Report Card: Qualitative Research – Executive Summary, Research Report RR106, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260) | TNS, School Accountability and School Report Card: Omnibus Survey (November 2008) – Top Line Findings, Research Report RR107, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Report (1) | Report (2)
Date: 2009-May
The Prime Minister outlined plans under which parents in England might be able to trigger local authority intervention in 'unsatisfactory' schools. The government would examine how local authorities could improve their knowledge of what parents wanted, and how satisfied parents were with their local schools. Where there was significant dissatisfaction with the pattern of secondary school provision, and where standards across an area were too low, the local authority would be required to act.
Source: Speech by Gordon Brown MP (Prime Minister), 5 May 2009
Links: Text of speech | ATL press release | Voice press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2009-May
A think-tank report examined how the principles of greater choice and competition might be applied to the Scottish education system to raise overall standards and extend educational opportunity. Despite a huge rise in educational spending over the previous 10 years, attainment in state schools in Scotland had remained 'flat'. In comparison, attainment in English schools had steadily improved and overtook Scotland in 2007.
Source: Ben Thomson, Geoff Mawdsley and Alison Payne, Parent Power, Reform Scotland (0131 524 9500)
Links: Report | Reform Scotland press release | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Apr
Attainment tables were published for primary schools in England in 2008. 73 per cent of children left primary school having reached the expected level in English and maths, compared with 53 per cent in 1997.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2008 (Revised), Statistical First Release 06/2009, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | Tables | DCSF press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Apr
A report examined the formal and informal strategies that local authorities had developed to support and challenge their schools, focusing on whether they had (or had not) used the intervention powers available to them, and the reasoning behind their approach.
Source: Avril Keating, Helen Marshall and Peter Rudd, Local Authorities and School Improvement: The use of statutory powers, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2009-Apr
A survey found that almost 90 per cent of teachers thought that inspection helped their schools to set new priorities for the future. 84 per cent thought that it was important that their lessons were observed by inspectors. 85 per cent agreed that inspection led to improvements in teaching and learning. Teachers were also overwhelmingly in favour of pupils being consulted as part of the inspection, and being informed about its findings.
Source: NFER Teacher Voice Omnibus October 2008 Survey, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Apr
An article said that the focus within much normative education policy was with in-school effects, which had sidelined the impact of structural and material factors in respect of the urban primary school. Educational reforms that were intended to improve schools were less likely to make much impact unless these contextualizing matters were directly addressed.
Source: Meg Maguire and Simon Pratt-Adams, 'Improving the English urban primary school: questions of policy', Improving Schools, Volume 12 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Mar
The education inspectorate in Wales said that more schools needed to adopt best practice to improve young pupils' reading and writing skills.
Source: Best Practice in the Reading and Writing of Pupils Aged Five to Seven Years, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (029 2044 6446)
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Mar
The inspectorate for education and children's services highlighted best practice in schools that had been consistently rated as outstanding, despite being located in deprived communities. A strong emphasis on leadership, good continuing professional development for staff, and imaginative lessons were identified as key factors in the schools' success.
Source: Twelve Outstanding Secondary Schools: Excelling against the odds, HMI 080240, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Feb
The schools inspectorate for Northern Ireland published its report for the period 2006-2008. Within the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland had the highest proportion of the working-age population with no qualifications.
Source: Chief Inspector's Report 2006-2008, Education and Training Inspectorate (028 9127 9726)
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2009-Feb
The education inspectorate in Scotland reviewed the provision of education across most sectors over the previous three years. Scottish education continued to demonstrate a number of strengths: but some 'significant and longstanding problems' remained, and there was a need for further and faster improvement in response to an increasingly competitive world.
Source: Improving Scottish Education: A report by HMIE on inspection and review 2005-2008, HM Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (01506 600200)
Links: Report | HMIE press release | COSLA press release | NASUWT press release | Voice press release | Consumer Focus press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jan
A report examined the negative impact of a poor-quality surrounding environment on schools' performance, pupil behaviour, parental attitudes, and staff morale.
Source: Kate Broadhurst, Katy Owen, Gemma Keats and Emmeline Taylor, One More Broken Window: The impact of the physical environment on schools, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (0121 453 6150)
Links: Report | Summary | NASUWT press release | Leicester University press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jan
A paper said that there was 'substantial uncertainty' in predicting the future performance of a school on the basis of published league tables. Incorporating this uncertainty led to a situation where only a handful of schools' future performances could be separated from both the overall mean and from one another with an acceptable degree of precision. This suggested that school league tables, including value-added ones, had very little to offer as guides to school choice.
Source: George Leckie and Harvey Goldstein, The Limitations of Using School League Tables to Inform School Choice, Working Paper 09/208, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper | Summary
Date: 2009-Jan
The education inspectorate in Wales published its annual report for 2007-08. Generally, standards of achievement across all sectors of education and training in Wales were at least good: but around 30 per cent of inspections showed that providers were not doing well enough.
Source: The Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales 2007-2008, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (029 2044 6446)
Links: Report | Summary | HMCIETW press release | TSN press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Jan