9 May 2017 weekly update

Dear Colleagues

Ofsted Inspection Update

The latest Ofsted inspection figures show continued further improvements in the quality of education in Kent schools.

Overall, 91% of schools in Kent are now rated good or outstanding compared to 89% nationally. This includes 22% of schools judged to be outstanding and 69% judged to be good. This is in line with our target of 90% for summer 2017, so we are making good progress.

This overall figure includes 91% of Primary schools judged to be good or outstanding, 88% of Secondary schools, 100% of Special schools and 86% of PRUs in Kent. Also, 97% of Early Years settings are good or outstanding, which is excellent.

In Kent, there are now 378 good and 119 outstanding schools, 47 schools requiring improvement (including 35 Primary schools and 11 Secondary schools) and one school in a category of concern, out of a total of 545 schools that have a current inspection result. Overall there are 33 more good and outstanding schools compared to this time last year.

In Kent, 19% of Primary schools are outstanding, 73% are good, 8% require improvement and 0.2% are inadequate. 32% of Secondary schools are outstanding, 57% are good, and 12% require improvement. 36% of Special schools are outstanding and 64% are good. 29% of Pupil Referral Units are outstanding, 57% are good and 14% require improvement.

Kent has more outstanding provision in Secondary schools and PRUs than the national averages. The percentage of outstanding provision is just below the national average for Primary and Special schools. However the overall percentage of outstanding schools in Kent, at 22%, is the same as the national average.

Pupils Attending a Good or Better School

In Kent now, 90% of pupils attend a good or outstanding school, including 90% of Primary pupils, 89% of Secondary pupils and 100% of pupils attending Special schools. This means that 10,901 more pupils attend a good or outstanding school compared to May last year, including 8314 more Primary pupils and 2410 more Secondary pupils. Kent is ranked 101 out of 152 local authority areas nationally for Primary numbers and 63 out of 152 for Secondary numbers attending good and better schools.

The highest performing areas in the county have up to 97% to 100% of pupils attending good or outstanding schools. For example the performance for Primary schools across all districts is set out below.

Since May 2016 there has been improvement in all areas, except Canterbury and Tonbridge and Malling where overall performance has declined in Primary Schools. All Primary schools are good or outstanding in Ashford and Shepway. The most improvement has been achieved in Dartford and Gravesham, although the lowest percentage of good and outstanding Primary schools is still in Gravesham. There are fewer schools requiring improvement in all districts. The May 2016 figures are shown in brackets.

The trend over time continues to be a good rate of improvement. For example, in 2015, 84% of schools were good or outstanding which was in line with the national average. At that time, there were 361 good and 100 outstanding schools, 79 schools requiring improvement (including 61 Primary schools and 15 Secondary schools) and 9 schools in a category, out of a total of 549 schools that had a current inspection result.

Looking back, in 2014, 75% of Kent schools were good or outstanding, compared to 68% in 2013, 59% in 2012 and 55% in 2011.

We expect this positive upward trend to continue towards our ambitious target of at least 95% of Primary and 90% of Secondary schools to be judged good or outstanding in the next year.

All schools currently rated as ‘requires improvement’ are working closely with the School Improvement Team, and are supported by collaborations with other schools, to ensure they achieve a rapid rate of improvement to good. We continue to aim for all children in Kent to attend at least a good school.

Overall we should be pleased about the rate of improvement in Kent and continue to be ambitious to achieve more so that we are among the best performing areas in the country.

Patrick Leeson
Corporate Director
Children, Young People and Education