Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the poor performance of Isle of Wight secondary schools, and in particular the level of fixed-term exclusions, as reported in the latest Ofsted Annual Report; and what measures are being taken to increase the rate of improvement in those schools.
Answered by Lord Nash
Secondary schools on the Isle of Wight face a range of complex and longstanding challenges similar to those faced by schools in other coastal areas. For example, they face difficulties in recruiting high quality teachers, particularly at senior levels. Inadequate school improvement support provided by the local authority in the past compounded further the difficulties faced by schools on the island.
The Department for Education’s latest data (2013/14) shows that the main specific reasons for fixed term exclusions in secondary schools on the Isle of Wight are: persistent disruptive behaviour; verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult; and physical assault against a pupil.
This government has acted decisively to improve educational performance on the island. In July 2013 the Department for Education directed the Isle of Wight Council to enter into a five year strategic partnership with Hampshire County Council which has a sound track record of educational performance. Under this arrangement the proportion of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics has increased at two maintained secondary schools since 2014.
To help bring talented new teachers onto the island, Teach First has commenced a pilot in three secondary schools on the Isle of Wight which they intend to expand next year.
The Regional Schools Commissioner for the South East and South London is working to support and challenge the island’s academies and academy sponsors, particularly the Academies Enterprise Trust, to ensure improvements in their performance continue, and that recent changes in school leadership lead to sustained progress.
Fixed-term exclusions in Isle of Wight secondary schools have fallen faster than the national average, from 1,136 (14.1% of the school population) in 2012/13 to 898 (11.8%of the school population) in 2013/14.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is no delay in the provision of funding for a pupil who moves school after the start of a new academic year.
Answered by Lord Nash
There is a delay in funding as schools are generally funded for the number of pupils they had based on the previous year’s school census. This provides schools with greater stability and predictability in planning their budgets. However, we are aware of the difficulties that some schools experiencing an influx of pupils after the start of an academic year can face. This is why local authorities can use a mobility factor in their local funding formula to give additional funding to schools that have a large number of pupils entering at non-standard entry times. We have also given local authorities the option of setting up a growth fund, which can support schools taking on more pupils because of the need for extra places in the area.