Challenges remain to close gap for disadvantaged school children in St Helens

Outcomes for disadvantaged children – those in receipt of free school meals or children who are in the care of the local authority – in Key Stage 1 (KS1) were below national averages in the 2018-19 academic school year, according to a new report from St Helens Council.

The biggest decline was seen in writing, with just 51 per cent of disadvantaged pupils educated in St Helens achieving the expected standard.

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This is down from 56 per cent the previous year and below the national average of 55 per cent.

The collective outcome for disadvantaged pupils in reading and maths also reduced in 2019 compared to 2018 and are below comparable national averages.

In terms of overall collective KS1 outcomes for St Helens, in 2019 the percentage of pupils who achieved the expected standard match comparable national averages, broadly speaking.

However, the council report says further improvement is required to ensure future performance meets or exceeds comparable national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Additionally, more girls reached the expected standard than boys in all subjects at KS1, as is the case nationally.

“Core responsibility for bringing about improvements in KS1 lie with a school’s leadership team, but the local authority has and continues to provide training and other to assist schools to raise standards in writing; on moderation of pupils’ writing; and strategies to improve boys’ engagement with writing,” the report says.

While outcomes for KS1 disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and maths reduced in 2019, there was a notable improvement in phonic decoding.

In 2019, 73 per cent of disadvantaged pupils met the expected standard, compared to 84 per cent of all other pupils.

The attainment gap between the two groups decreased substantially by 6 percentage points compared to 2018.

Progress has also been made in other years in closing the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children.

In KS2, Years 3 to 6, schools in St Helens saw a positive improvement in both attainment and progress.

Attainment, in terms of the expected standard, increased in 2019 compared to 2018 for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and (SEN) and looked-after children.

In 2019, 53 per cent of disadvantaged pupils reached the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths at the end of KS2 compared to 73 per cent of all other pupils.

This is a substantial 5 percentage points increase compared to 2018.

In addition, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in St Helens narrowed in 2019 relative to the previous year.

“The positive outcomes achieved in 2019 further build on the improved outcomes achieved in recent years,” the report says.

Despite some notable improvements, the picture at the end of the primary phase is “immensely varied” in St Helens, the report says.

It says there remain “wide differences” between the performances of individual primaries in terms of closing the gap measures for disadvantaged pupils and others.

At KS4, years 10 to 11, attainment was lower for disadvantaged pupils compared to all other pupils across all measure in 2019 in St Helens, as is the case nationally.

However, average attainment and progress for disadvantaged pupils in St Helens increased in 2019.

The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in St Helens also narrowed in 2019 compared to the previous year.

It remains the case that disadvantaged pupils, on average, achieve less well and make less academic progress than other, non-disadvantaged pupils.

The report, which details the performance of St Helens schools at early years foundation stage, KS1, KS2, KS4 and post-16 in 2018-19 was presented to St Helens Council’s cabinet this week.

Cllr Sue Murphy, St Helens Council's cabinet member for developing young people

Labour’s Sue Murphy, cabinet member for developing young people, said that while improvements have been made, the council’s school effectiveness team and primary school leaders recognise that further work is needed to ensure outcomes surpass national averages.

Cllr Murphy said: “The authority understands the pressure government put on our schools and the stress our schools are facing with their budgets.

“And we know how it’s impacting on our children’s education.

“Whilst the responsibility mainly for improving outcomes for our children lies within the school’s leadership teams, his authority, in line with the school effectiveness strategy, will support and challenge schools to improve outcomes across the board for the children of St Helens.”

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St Helens Council leader David Baines said the report highlights some “fantastic progress”.

The former teacher also thanked all teaching and school stafffor their work in helping improve outcomes for St Helens’ children.

Cabinet noted the report and approved the continuation or initiation of a series of actions to help improve collective outcomes for pupils in St Helens.