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A message from Matt Dunkley CBE:

8 November 2018 weekly update

8 November 2018

This week, Matt summarises the outcomes and achievement gaps for our vulnerable children and young people in 2018.

Dear Colleagues

Outcomes for Vulnerable Groups in 2018

One of our key priorities continues to be narrowing achievement gaps for vulnerable groups, especially for those pupils supported by the Pupil Premium. As we know, achievement gaps at any age are of great significance to the life chances of children and young people as they move through their schooling.

Kent has performed above the national average for most Key Stages in 2018. Although there is some improvement in the attainment of vulnerable groups in 2018, this remains variable across phases and subjects and attainment gaps remain wide.

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years Foundation Stage the FSM Eligible gap has narrowed from 22% in 2017 to 18% this year which is very positive. However, the SEN gap has not narrowed in 2018 and remains at 59%, as in 2017. The proportion of children with special educational needs, however, who achieved a good level of development increased to 25% in 2018, having been 20% in 2017.

Key Stage 1

At Key Stage 1 in 2018, the proportion of FSM Eligible pupils who attained or exceeded the expected standard in Reading declined to 59%, having been 62% in 2017. The attainment gap has widened to 21%, compared with 19% in 2017. Kent is ranked fifth against its statistical neighbours for FSM Reading attainment.

Writing continues to have the widest attainment gap. In 2018, 53% of FSM pupils achieved the ‘expected standard or above’ in Writing which is a slight decline of 1 percentage point compared with 2017. Kent is ranked fifth against its statistical neighbours for FSM Writing attainment. The attainment gap has widened to 23%, compared with 21% in 2017. Kent is ranked fifth against its statistical neighbours for FSM writing attainment. Mathematics attainment improved by 1 percentage point for FSM pupils in 2018, ranking Kent first amongst its statistical neighbours. The attainment gap is 19% and is the same as 2017. In 2018, the attainment gap for SEN pupils was wide across all subjects at Key Stage 1.

In Reading, 30% pupils with SEN attained or exceeded the expected standard which shows no change since 2017. The attainment gap has narrowed by 2 percentage point compared with 2017 and is 54%, which is in line with the national gap of 54%. The attainment gap is widest in Writing. The proportion of SEN pupils who attained or exceeded the expected standard was 23%, a slight improvement compared to 21% to 2017. There is an attainment gap of 58%, which is 2% wider than the national figure and remains the same as 2017. In Mathematics, 33% of pupils with SEN attained or exceeded the expected standard, compared with 31% in 2017. This is broadly in line with national attainment in mathematics for SEN pupils. The attainment gap is 52%, which is 1 percentage point wider than the national figure.

Key Stage 2

In 2018, 46% of FSM Eligible pupils achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined compared with 42% in 2017. This is an improvement of 4 percentage points. The attainment gap is 24% which has narrowed by 1 percentage point since 2017.

In 2018, the proportion of FSM pupils who achieved the ‘expected standard’ increased in Reading and was 59% compared with 56% in 2017. This is an improvement of three percentage points, however, the reading attainment gap of 21% remains the same as in 2017. he proportion of FSM pupils who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Writing was 63%, compared to 62% in 2017, an improvement of one percentage point. The writing attainment gap is 21% which is the same as 2017. Attainment is higher in writing than other subjects for FSM eligible pupils. In Mathematics, 56% of FSM pupils achieved the ‘expected standard’, which is a 2 percentage point decline from 2017. The attainment gap widened in 2018 to 22%, compared with 21% in 2017. The proportion of FSM pupils who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling is 56%, compared to 57% in 2017. There is an attainment gap of 22 percentage points which is the same as the attainment gap in 2017. T

he attainment gap for SEN pupils remains wide across all measures in 2018. The proportion of SEN pupils who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined was 21%, a 2 percentage point improvement compared to 2017. There is an attainment gap of 54% which is one percentage point wider than the gap in 2017. In Reading, 36% of pupils with SEN in Kent achieved the ‘expected standard’ in 2017, which shows a 2 percentage point improvement compared with 2017. There is an attainment gap of 48% which is the same as 2017. Again, the attainment gap is widest in Writing. The proportion of SEN pupils who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in 2018 was 34%, which is an improvement of one percentage point compared with 2017. There is an attainment gap of 56% which is the same as 2017. In Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, 30% of SEN pupils achieved the ‘expected standard’, which is similar to 2017. There is an attainment gap of 55% which is 2 percentage point wider than in 2017. In Mathematics, 34% of SEN pupils achieved the ‘expected standard’ which is a two percentage point decline on 2017 outcomes. There is an attainment gap of 49% which has widened by two percent since 2017.

In 2018, the proportion Children in Care for 12+ months who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined was to 34% compared with 35% in 2017. This is a decline of 1 percentage point. The attainment gap is 33% which is three percentage points wider than 2017. 50% of Children in Care who achieved the ‘expected standard’ increased in Reading compared with 46% in 2017. Attainment is higher in reading than other subjects for Children in Care. In 2018, the proportion of Children in Care who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Writing was 48%, compared to 52% in 2017, a decline of four percentage points. The writing attainment gap is 34% which is five percentage points wider than the attainment gap in 2017. In Mathematics, 39% of Children in Care achieved the ‘expected standard’, which is a seven percentage point decline from 2017. The attainment gap widened in 2018 to 37%, compared with 30% in 2017. The proportion of Children in Care who achieved the ‘expected standard’ in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling was 39%, compared to 50% in 2017. The attainment gap has widened to 37 percentage points in 2018 from an attainment gap of 26 percentage points in 2017.

The figures for Key Stage 4 and 5 will be available in January 2019.

School Funding Consultation

A final reminder that our School Funding Consultation closes on Friday 16 November. Please can I encourage all Kent maintained schools, academies and free schools to respond to the Consultation.

You can access the Consultation documentation online - This comprises of:

  • A Word document that explains in detail, the proposals and why we believe they are necessary.
  • An online Consultation Response Form.
  • An Equality Impact Assessment.

If you have any questions about the Consultation, please email your enquiry to schoolfunding@kent.gov.uk.

Autumn Headteacher Briefings

Finally a reminder about my forthcoming briefings. As part of the agenda, I have managed to secure an HMI to present the proposed vision and changes to Ofsted’s new Education Framework which will be implemented from September 2019 - this will be a very important presentation in advance of Ofsted formal consultation which will begin in January 2019 and will give you the opportunity to hear the proposals direct.

I will also outline in these briefings the development of our SEND Action Plan and the changes that are being proposed; plus an update on our new integration programme, Change for Kent Children.

For this cycle of meetings, and because we have an external speaker from Ofsted, I have agreed to hold 2 large meetings in Maidstone which I hope will be convenient for you to attend.

The Headteacher Briefings will be held on:

Monday 26 November: 1pm for a 1:30pm start - 4pm - Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

Tuesday 4 December: 1:30pm for a 2pm start - 4:30pm - Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

To book a place at the briefing, please email EYPSSupportTeam@kent.gov.uk stating which meeting you wish to attend.

Matt Dunkley CBE
Corporate Director
Children, Young People and Education