Doncaster Council's support for its schools is ineffective, say inspectors
30 May 2014 02:23 PM
There is a pressing need to improve Doncaster
Council’s support for schools, Ofsted said
today.
Ofsted inspected the local authority’s
arrangements for supporting primary and secondary schools because more than
half of pupils in the borough attend a school that is inadequate or requires
improvement. The area is in the bottom fifth of local authorities across
England in terms of exam results.
It was as a consequence of these problems that Ofsted went in to see how the
local authority was supporting the 124 schools in the area.
Ofsted inspectors met councillors, senior local
authority officials, governors and school leaders. They looked at the local
authority’s plans to improve education and analysed pupils’ exam
results.
Having considered these carefully Ofsted finds that
Doncaster Council’s systems for collecting and analysing schools’
performance data are not fit for purpose. Ofsted also finds that the local
authority school improvement service does not keep formal records of how well
governors are managing and supporting schools. Moreover, it does not use its
powers to intervene in failing schools in a consistent way. It is for these
reasons and others that Ofsted today finds that the local authority’s
school improvement support is ineffective.
More positively, Ofsted finds that the local authority
has worked well to reduce pupil exclusions, while some headteachers said that
there had been an improvement in the way good and outstanding schools help
those that are not giving their pupils a good or better
education.
Nick Hudson, Ofsted Director for North-East, Yorkshire
and Humber, said:
'We have undertaken a thorough inspection of Doncaster Council’s
arrangements for supporting schools and found that they are
ineffective.
'A local authority needs to have a grip on data
about how its pupils are doing. That Doncaster’s systems for analysing
school data are not fit for purpose is a matter for concern.
'Pupils in Doncaster do not get a good deal compared
to other children and young people elsewhere in the region or in England. More
than half of pupils in Doncaster are in schools that are either inadequate or
require improvement. They and their parents deserve better.
'To solve any problem you must identify it first. So
I believe that this report is a significant step towards better education for
pupils in Doncaster. We have set forward a clear way by which Doncaster Council
can do better for its young people, and give them a better start in
life.
'I know there are some good schools in Doncaster and
many people are working hard to rectify the problems. But pupils have yet to
benefit from their intentions. Before next summer we will check on what
progress has been made.'
Ofsted says that the local authority
must:
- intervene early when schools show signs of failing their
pupils by, for example, replacing senior staff and governors;
- improve the way it collects data about pupils’
exam results, and use that data properly;
- encourage schools to work together to share how best to
improve teaching quality in the area; and
- tell the Department for Education promptly if
academies are failing.
- Inspectors will go back in within a
year.
The report is on Doncaster's page.
Notes to Editors:
- Of
the 124 schools in Doncaster, 92 are maintained (local authority-run) and 32
are academies.
- The
Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)
regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young
people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and
inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children
and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial
teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and
community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure
establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects
services for looked after children, safeguarding and child
protection.
- Media can contact the Ofsted Press Office through 03000
130 415 or via Ofsted’s enquiry line 0300 123 1231 between 8.30am –
6.00pm Monday – Friday. Out of these hours, during evenings and weekends,
the duty press officer can be reached on 07919 057 359.
Associated resources