|
New challenge for schools
The steps boosting standards in English and Maths
 |
 |
The hard work of Hull schools is in danger of being overshadowed.
Despite achieving their best-ever GCSE results last year, a new government league table now places the city at the foot of the country when these results include English and Maths.
Last year, a total of 52.4 per cent of Year 11 pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE. It prompted the city to climb 32 places off the bottom of the old league table to 116th place out of 148 local authorities. But the new league table reveals that out of the pupils counted in the results, just 26 per cent of them had the A* to C grades in both English and Maths. The national average is 46 per cent.
City education leaders are more determined than ever that Hull schools will boost standards in English and Maths, building on the success achieved in other GCSE subjects, and in primary schools.
"Although I'm pleased with the significant improvement made by our schools, this new table confirms that the results are simply not good enough," says Cllr Mike Ross, portfolio holder for education in the city.
"Both English and Maths are key for our children's prospects for the future. It's crucial they are given the serious attention they deserve."
To tackle the problem, Cllr Ross has called together councillors from the city's main political parties to form a working group. This aims to:
- Gain a broad understanding of past successes and current problems by meeting a variety of people in the primary and secondary education sectors, head teachers, governors and pupils.
- Use more teaching experts to help teachers and teaching assistants and to share good practice.
- Look at new ways of making lessons interesting and fun, and to encourage the use of other subjects to boost English and Maths skills; for example, through writing stories in history, plotting graphs in science and the use of ICT.
- Look at how the council can work with, and support, community and voluntary groups that work in schools.
Building upwards on foundations
At the same time, the government has given an extra £550,000 funding to help schools face the new challenge in English and Maths, and to build on recent achievements and successes.
"We have already proved as a team that we can deliver significant improvements, and we can build on that success," says Nigel Richardson, the council's director of Children and Young People's Services.
"We now need to call upon everyone - including parents, carers, teaching assistants, governors, teachers and head teachers – to work together to tackle head-on some of the fundamental challenges we still face."
Parents should make their mark too
Parents are also being asked to play their part in encouraging their children's learning development, and in some cases this involves just getting them to school so they don't truant.
"The council and its partners are taking huge steps, but we can't do it alone," adds Cllr Ross.
"We need more parents to take an interest in their children's learning, because we know that children achieve more when their parents are encouraging and supporting them."
How parents can get involved
Every primary and secondary school has measures in place to engage parents in the teaching and learning process. Many hold meetings and training sessions for parents, and at some schools children can attend them too. Most schools also produce a booklet for parents giving hints and tips about helping their children.
|
