'Significant' improvement needed for Walsall schools to match national average
Schools in Walsall must 'significantly' improve over the next year if the borough is to keep pace with the rest of the country, it has been claimed.
As of last month, 81.4 per cent of schools were judged as good or outstanding by Ofsted, falling short of the national average of 89.5 per cent.
Frances Done, chair of Walsall Council's education challenge board, said: "Walsall's Ofsted inspection results are continuing to improve but the national rate of improvement is greater.
"If the objective of reaching the national average of schools judged good or better by 2018 is to be achieved, then Walsall's rate of improvement must significantly increase."
The percentage of schools rated good or outstanding by the education watchdog has steadily improved over the last four years, starting out at 65.5 per cent in December 2013 and reaching 76.5 per cent in September 2016 before the most recent results in March.
An Ofsted inspection report relating to school improvement services in the borough, published in June 2014, found the council's arrangements for supporting school improvement were ineffective.
In response, the Walsall Education Challenge Board was set up to effectively monitor school performance, offering challenge and support where standards fall short of government floor levels.
Ofsted reinspected the authority in March last year and reported on the outcome to the Director of Children's Services on April 7.
The inspection concluded there had been improvement, including improved leadership, but there was still a great deal to be done to make necessary improvements.
The work required to hit the national target was discussed at a council education and children's services overview and scrutiny committee last night.
Ms Done also said that the performance of academies was a cause for concern 'given the impact of their results on Walsall's overall performance'.
She said: "In my last report, I indicated that the performance of some academies, and particularly sponsored academies, was a cause of concern.
"This continues to be the case despite the positive working relationships established with sponsored academies and most multi-academy trusts and the regular contact between the executive director of children's services and the regional schools commissioner, who is responsible for academies.
"Sponsored academy performance will remain something that the ECB will maintain an interest in given the impact of their results on Walsall's overall performance, and most important, the impact on educational outcomes for the Walsall children who attend them."
