Ministerial Statement on Primary Education

Written ministerial statement by Education Secretary Justine Greening on primary education

This government is committed to building a country that works for everyone and that means having the highest aspirations for all children. But we know that when it comes to their education, if a child starts behind other children, all too often they stay behind. When children leave primary school they should have acquired a firm grasp of the basics of literacy and numeracy. I know that all parents and teachers want this for our children too.

Summer 2016 saw the first pupils taking the new assessments in English and mathematics at the end of primary school. They were set against the new national curriculum which has been benchmarked against what the highest-performing countries around the world are teaching their children. As a result, the new assessments rightly raised the bar on what we expect pupils to have been taught by the age of 11, better preparing them for secondary school and beyond. In the past, although we saw high proportions of children meeting the previous lower standard at the end of primary school, too often it did not translate into good qualifications at the end of secondary school.

Although the new assessments this summer were rightly more challenging, teachers and pupils rose to that challenge. 66% of pupils met or exceeded the new ‘expected standard’ in reading, 70% did so in mathematics and 74% did so in writing.

The pace and scale of these changes has been stretching. Our objective is to make sure that children are ready for the next stage of their education. We know, and Ofsted inspectors understand, that the 2016 assessments and results mark a break with the past and are not comparable with the preceding years. In recognition of this, I am reaffirming the commitment that no more than 6% of primary schools will be below the floor standard in 2016.

It is right that we do more to identify schools where pupils are not fulfilling their potential and 2016 saw a greater emphasis on pupil progress in the accountability system. To take the next step, we are laying regulations around ‘coasting’, so that schools not making enough progress get the focus and support that they need to improve. We expect a small proportion of primary schools to be defined as coasting this year.

Because of the changes to primary assessment, I want to be clear that no decisions on intervention will be made on the basis of the 2016 data alone. Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities will work together with the current leaders of the small minority of primary schools below the floor or coasting to help and support the schools to move forward in a positive direction.

It is important that we now set out a clear path to a settled system where our collective focus can be on achieving strong educational outcomes for all children. There has been significant change in recent years, but the timeline from this point will bring greater stability, with no new national tests or assessments introduced before the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

As part of this I am setting out steps to improve and simplify assessment arrangements. First, we have worked closely with the profession to improve the guidance for the moderation of teacher assessment. It is important that we have a consistent and reliable approach across England. This new guidance will be accompanied by mandatory training for local authority moderators. Second, the key stage 1 grammar, punctuation and spelling test will remain non-statutory for schools this year, with tests available for teachers to use if they choose. Third, we will not introduce statutory mathematics and reading resits on children’s arrival in year 7. Rather, we will focus on the steps needed to ensure a child catches up lost ground. High-quality resit papers will be made available for teachers to use if they wish, as part of their ongoing assessments. In addition, we will introduce a targeted package of support to make sure that struggling pupils are supported by teachers to catch up in year 7.

Whilst the steps set out above will make improvements in the current academic year, we also need to now set out a longer term, sustainable approach. Early in the new year we will launch a consultation on primary assessment and the implications for accountability. This will cover key issues, including the best starting point to measure the progress that children make in primary school, and the role and operation of teacher assessment. Whilst we take time to consult on assessment arrangements, the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile will remain in place for the 2017 to 2018 academic year.

Last year, the Government commissioned Diane Rochford to lead an expert review into the assessment of pupils working below the standard of the national curriculum tests and to make recommendations that ensure they have the opportunity to demonstrate attainment and progress at primary school. I am grateful for the work of Diane Rochford and her team and we are publishing their report today. Its recommendations will also form part of the consultation.

I look forward to engaging with parents, teachers and unions on these issues in the coming months.

The announcement includes plans for a consultation on primary assessment and its implications for accountability early in the new year.

The consultation will cover key issues, including the best starting point to measure the progress that children make in primary school, and the role and operation of teacher assessment.

SCC Public Consultation...

A public consultation will be launched on 16 November 2016, to seek the views of residents,
partners and businesses on Southampton's proposals to deliver a balanced budget in the face of ever reducing government funding. Please do take the time to fill in the budget consultation online. The consultation can be found on the SCC website (www.southampton.gov.uk/budget2017) and includes supplementary information sheets, equality and safety impact assessments, and frequently asked questions.

If you would prefer to feedback face-to-face or by email please contact: yourcity.yoursay@southampton.gov.uk.

The Council will set its final budget on 15 February 2017 and the deadline for feedback to be included in the Cabinet report is 24 January 2017. Any feedback received after this date will be reported verbally at the Cabinet meeting on 14 February 2017.

'Play Like Share' - New CEOP resources for 8-10 Year Olds

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency) have launched a brand new resource 'Play Like Share'. This three-episode animated series and accompanying resource pack aims to help eight-to-ten year olds learn how to stay safe from sexual abuse, exploitation and other risks they might encounter online such as sharing content.

The characters online behaviour mirrors that of many eight-to-ten year olds, gaming, chatting  and sharing content is integrated into their friendships and free-time. Whilst this age group are often familiar with these types of online activities, they aren’t always able to recognise risky situations or behaviours.

Play Like Share helps children to identify the signs of pressurising and threatening behaviour in an age appropriate way. This is explored through highly relatable characters and non-frightening peer-on-peer scenarios, where children recognise tactics such as flattery or bribery or that feeling you might get when something’s not right. The resources aims to develop children’s confidence and skills to respond to these situations and get help when they need it.

The link to the resource (For teachers and parents!) is here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/resources/

Effective Primary Teaching Practice Report 2016

“I hope this report helps everyone in developing their, and others’, teaching as part of our professional duty to ensure we are doing the best we can for all pupils.”
Dame Reena Keeble

The Teaching School Council’s Effective Primary Teaching Practice report was published on 2 November 2016. It provides thought provoking, practical advice to enable teachers and schools to improve their teaching.

Led by ex-primary headteacher Dame Reena Keeble, supported by a group of headteachers, teachers and experts, the report is the culmination of eight months’ work reviewing the evidence, visiting schools and talking to teachers and experts.

The report addresses four elements that contribute to effective practice in effective primary schools:

Strong leadership driven by a clear vision for teaching and learning. Regardless of structure, the most senior leader in a school takes responsibility for leading teaching.
Ongoing development of teachers and teaching focused on pupil outcomes and led by evidence. Planning is purposeful and focused on learning. Teachers’ knowledge of a subject AND how children learn that subject is actively developed, using subject leads and external resources/expertise. Mastery teaching is properly understood, and with careful thought, are used across the curriculum.
Making the most of all their resources: in particular, teachers are helped to use their time on things that make the most difference to pupils. Technology is used where it has a clear pedagogical purpose – and only then.
Making clear choices about their priorities and organisation. Thinking hard about whether setting or streaming helps all pupils to achieve. Being clear on the use and purpose of any homework and how it supports learning objectives. Developing a strong reception year with a structured approach to teaching and planning for focused learning rather than activities.

Improving Writing...

Part of our November INSET was some training on how to develop writing to a greater depth standard. As part of the day, our Literacy Leader shared several videos she had taken - including one of our teaching assistants engaging successfully with a small group of pupils to improve their writing above.

The key principles we are working on:

Coach culture: Using adults to discuss ideas and model what is expected.

Unpick features needed to write in that context: What skills will they need to use? What skills are already in their toolkit ready to apply? How am I moving children’s learning on?

Children write, prompted to use resources around them (word mats, sentence openers, etc.) and think about language used for effect.

Reflection: Focussed questions for pupils verbally or through reflection bubbles.

Achieving Greater Depth!

The focus of our November INSET day was around ensuring our curriculum allows children opportunities to work at a greater depth across our curriculum. We took ourselves back to school for part of the day for a reminder about some fundamentals of teaching and learning. Bloom's and 'Solo' taxonomies are an excellent rationale for the way we need to ensure children are given opportunities to think and apply their learning.

One key question was around the definition and concept of 'cleverness'?

• Is it being able to generate revolutionary new thinking?
• Is it seeing links and connections between different concepts and ideas?
• Or is it the quality and quantity of what you know?

Our curriculum therefore needs to allow children to learn skills, apply them in interesting contexts and use them to make links which extend their thinking.

Good Diabetes Care in School Award

We are very proud to have been awarded the Good Diabetes Care in School badge by Diabetes UK. Being an award holder puts our school in a unique position to let parents and other schools know that we offer good practice care and management to children with Type 1 diabetes. One of the key objectives of the Good Diabetes Care in School Award is to create opportunities for schools around the country to learn and get support from those schools that are Good Diabetes Care in School Award holders. We are now on a list of contact reference schools which will be shared with parents and other schools who would benefit from gaining insight into the ways in which good practice schools manage children with diabetes. We believe that the more good practice information is shared amongst schools, the more schools will gain the knowledge and confidence to deliver good diabetes care.