Primary schools, colleges, among the best

EDUCATION watchdog Ofsted has published its first ever report reviewing education standards in the North West.
The report finds that primary schools and further education (FE) in the North West are among the best in England.
The proportion of children in primary schools judged to be good or better is the highest in England. Eighty-three per cent of children are going to a good or better school compared to 78 per cent nationally.
However, the strong performance is not reflected for secondary schools. The quality of secondary schools is patchy, says Ofsted.
Consequently, access to good or outstanding secondary education is a postcode lottery for too many young people.
In Warrington, 78 per cent of primary school children attend schools judged as good or outstanding while the figure for secondary schools is 75 per cent.
This compares with neighbouring boroughs such as Trafford (93 per cent for primary, 90 per cent for secondary), Wigan (83 per cent for primary, 81 for secondary) and Halton (80 per cent for primary and 57 per cent for secondary).
Disadvantaged children are not served well in the region, says Ofsted.
At the age of 16, students eligible for free school meals do less well at GCSE than similar students nationally. Moreover, these young people have dramatically different chances of achieving good qualifications depending on where they attend school.
The North West has the highest proportion of good and outstanding colleges out of any region. However, some of the largest providers are failing to provide good education and training. Only 20 per cent of learners who have not achieved a grade C or above in English and mathematics at age 16 go on to achieve these by age 19. Moreover, FE and skills training is not always well-matched to local skills shortages.
Ofsted regional manager Michael Cladingbowl (picture) said: “I am delighted that the North West has the highest proportion of children going to primary schools judged good or better in England. The region’s colleges must also be praised as the North West stands as the top performer nationally.
“Much of the credit should go to teachers and leaders, whose hard work ensures that children are receiving the best education.
“However, there is still much to do because for too many pupils, reaching the age of 11 can mark the end of a good education. The performance of secondary schools is variable. As a result it is down to where a child goes to school that will determine whether they receive a good education. This cannot be right and needs urgent attention.
“Children from poor families are also being left behind. Closing the achievement gap between these children and their more affluent peers is one of the most important challenges for our education system.
“As Regional Director for the North West, I am determined to drive improvement through our inspections and improvement work. Ofsted inspectors will monitor, challenge and support those institutions that are underperforming and we will not walk away until education standards improve in across the region.”
Alongside the regional report, HM chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills, Sir Michael Wilshaw, published his second annual report, underpinned by the findings of more than 8,500 inspections carried out during 2012/13 of schools, adult learning, skills and colleges.
The key findings for schools are:
•Nearly eight in 10 schools in England are now good or better – the highest proportion since Ofsted was founded 20 years ago.
•Around 485,000 more primary school pupils and 188,000 more secondary school pupils attend a good or better school compared with a year ago.
•Nearly a quarter of a million pupils are still languishing in inadequate schools.