Mixed performance from local schools (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Mixed performance from local schools

5:00pm Saturday 24th December 2011 in Education By Emily Roberts

PUPILS in The Gazette area are doing better than those nationally, according to new figures published by the Department for Education.

But the 2011 performance tables, which show how primary schools in England performed on a range of measures based on the national curriculum SATs taken at Key Stage 2, also revealed that fewer than half the schools in The Gazette area improved on their results from 2010.

The tables show that 78.8 per cent of children in The Gazette area managed to achieve the required level 4 in English and maths, compared to 74 per cent nationally.

For the first time, the data breaks down school performance for different ability groups, showing the progress made by those in different categories.

Nationally, just a quarter of children who were classed as having low attainment at age seven, then went on to reach level 4 in English and maths in the SATs.

At Bishopswood Junior School, in Tadley, none of the children classed as having low attainment managed to gain level 4 in the tests, while 100 per cent of those classed as high attainers managed to reach the expected level in both subjects. The same figures applied to St Mary’s Junior School in Old Basing.

In comparison, 67 per cent of low- attaining children at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, in Popley, managed to gain a level 4.

At Oakley Church of England Junior School, 98 per cent of pupils achieved level 4 in both English and maths, which was the highest score out of all the schools in The Gazette area.

David Howe, headteacher, said: “We are very pleased with the results and hard work of both pupils and staff, but this is just a small part of the curriculum, which includes a wide variety of other subjects which we also consider as important, such as drama and sport.”

At Park View Junior School, in South Ham, just 55 per cent of pupils achieved level 4 in both English and maths – a big drop from its 2010 figure of 68 per cent, and the lowest attainment figure in The Gazette area.

Judy Ashley, deputy head, said: “We were disappointed but we are looking at it as a blip because our results have shown an upwards trend in English and maths for the last eight years.”

She added: “The league table is just a snapshot because it’s just based on the children’s performance on one day.”

Kempshott Junior School, saw a big rise in the number of pupils gaining level 4 in English and maths, from 80 per cent in 2010 to 94 per cent in 2011.

But the biggest improvement in The Gazette area came at South View Junior School, in South View, where 74 per cent of children achieved level 4 in English and maths – a massive 27 per cent increase from their 2010 figure of 47 per cent.