Bournemouth has become the first authority in the country to date to have their arrangements for school improvement assessed as Effective by Ofsted.
Ofsted carried out an announced inspection in December to examine what action Bournemouth was taking to progress results at Key Stage 2 and measures to increase numbers of children attending good or better schools compared to national figures. In a very positive letter they concluded that measures already put in place by the authority have had a positive impact on the quality of education in its schools and that the proportion of pupils who attend a good or better primary school had increased to national standards.
Councillor Nicola Greene, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “We are pleased Ofsted have recognised that the Council has robust plans in place to tackle any areas of concern and can see from our results that together with our schools we are delivering. Their assessment that our arrangements are ‘Effective’, demonstrate they have complete confidence in us to continue to improve.”
Jane Portman, Executive Director of Bournemouth Council, said: “Ofsted recognises that in Bournemouth we understand both our strengths and concerns and know exactly what needs to be done to address them. They were very thorough in their inspection and posed challenging questions throughout so I am delighted that our arrangements have stood up under scrutiny.”
Summary findings:
· Bournemouth’s vision for its schools is ambitious
· Pupils attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has risen year on year and is now in line with national averages in reading, writing and maths. Pupils’ progress across the Key Stage has also improved and has done so at a faster rate than seen nationally
· Local authority makes good use of system leaders who play an increasing role in the drive for school improvement
· Establishment of primary school collaborative trusts is a key part of Bournemouth’s improvement strategy
· Tackling the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils is recognised as an urgent issue
· Good outcomes at the end of Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have been maintained
· Proportion of students gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A*to C including English and maths has improved and is now three per cent higher than national average.
Areas for further development included focusing the effort of collaborative trusts on narrowing the gap, promoting sharing of best practice in teaching maths and consulting with non maintained state funded schools (academies and free schools) to agree actions should they be giving cause for concern.
Graham Exon, Chairman of the Schools Forum, said: “I am glad that this Ofsted report has recognized the positive impact that the School Improvement Team has demonstrated in working towards increasing the achievement and progress of children within our schools. The close working relationship which is enjoyed between the local authority and schools means that there is a shared understanding of priorities, and this is particularly supportive of Schools Forum in its decision making and monitoring of funding arrangements of the schools in Bournemouth.”
Brian Hooper, Chief Executive of Tregonwell Multi- Academy Trust, said: “As one of the system leaders commissioned by the Council over the years to support schools to improve the quality of education, I am confident that the collaborative and partnership working approach is helping schools make good progress. I am delighted Ofsted have recognised the hard work that is going on in Bournemouth and that the actions of the School Improvement Team have been recognised as being effective. This is a real achievement.”
Stephen Orman, Headteacher of the Federation of St Clement’s Infant and Bethany Junior Schools, said: “I am delighted that Ofsted recognise the work of Bournemouth School Improvement Services in providing robust and effective support and challenge to help schools across the town achieve good outcomes for our children.
“The recent establishment of Local Collaborative Trusts, where schools commit to learn from each other and share best practice, can only further strengthen the quality of education for the children of Bournemouth.”
