Woodthorpe school report on “pupil premium” success to be discussed next week

Disabled access arrangements also being scrutinised

A report from Woodthorpe primary school, indicating how they have used the LibDem inspired pupil premium funding initiative, forms part of the background papers for a meeting next week.

The school received a supplementary payment of over £130,000 last year which was used to raise the achievement levels of children from poorer backgrounds.

The Woodthorpe review  forms part of a wider report which looks at how the “attainment gap” can be closed across the whole of the City.

A special committee had been told  that, by the age of 19, the gap in attainment between disadvantaged young people (as defined by them being in receipt of Free School Meals at age 15) and their peers in York were among the widest anywhere in the country

Disabled access

The meeting will also receive a report on how access arrangements for people with disabilities can be improved particularly at leisure venues.

 

Badger Hill primary school wins money for buildings

Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws MP has today announced government money to rebuild Badger Hill school in York.

 The money will come from the Priority Schools Building Programme, a £2bn government scheme spearheaded by the Liberal Democrats to rebuild those schools across the country suffering most from wear and tear. A full list of benefiting schools can be found by clicking here

 Schools included in the programme are now able to start developing detailed plans, and are expected to be completed in the next few years.

 Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws MP said:

“I am delighted to be able to announce money that will allow Badger Hill to make badly needed improvements to their building.

 “School buildings that aren’t up to scratch unfairly hold our children and young people back.  Every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their full potential, and improving Badger Hill will make sure that many more children in York receive a good education.”  

 Local Liberal Democrats say,

 “Last week the Conservatives set out plans to cut school budgets if they are in power by themselves after the election. We am proud that Liberal Democrats are continuing to make the case and win more investment for local schools.

 Elsewhere in the city, work on new primary schools for Carr Infants in Acomb and Lord Deramore’s in Heslington are both due to begin later this year. Already set to be expanded in the City are St Barnabas and fellow PFI- primary, St Oswald’s CE in Fulford, where there has been increased demand for pupil places.

 Only a few weeks ago figures were released which revealed that York faced a major shortfall in school place availability over the next few years.

  •  The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) was established in 2011 to address the needs of those schools in the worst condition across the country.
  • The list of 261 successful schools for the first phase of the programme was announced in May 2012.  Significant work on those projects is already underway. As of 26 January 2015, 15 school buildings are already open, a further 72 have contracts signed and the remaining projects are well into in the development or planning stages.
  •  In May 2014 the Coalition Government announced a further £2 billion for the second phase of the programme.  A list of the schools to benefit from the second phase of the PSBP has been published today, here
  • The government has also today announced £4bn of school maintenance funding to be shared by local authorities across England.
  •  This week David Cameron set out Conservative plans to cut school budgets by up to 10% in real terms, if his party wins an overall majority in this year’s general election.  Liberal Democrats have protected schools spending in this parliament, and are committed to protecting schools, early years and 16-19 education budgets in real terms in the next parliament.

Grants to apply for Better Play for young people

Community groups are invited to apply to City of York Council’s Better Play Grant, which provides funding to organisations that deliver play opportunities for children and young people in York.


In the new financial year, £87,000 will be shared between projects of between one and three year’s duration, and which address the priorities highlighted in the York Taking Play Forward policy. In the current Community Play programme, four organisations are delivering projects until the end of March 2015.

To qualify, applicants for the 2015-18 funding must be a constituted voluntary organisation, or a community organisation with policies and operating procedures in place which are appropriate for working with children and young people. Successful applicants will also be required to register their organisation on the YorOK Service Directory.

Anyone wishing to talk through a project or idea in more detail before applying can contact Tim Waudby on 01904 553426 email: tim.waudby@york.gov.ukor Mary Bailey 551812 email: mary.bailey@york.gov.uk
Application forms and guidance can be down loaded from www.yor-ok.org.uk/play and must be submitted before the deadline of 13 March 2015.

York letting disadvantaged pupils down?

A new Centre for City’s study has put York bottom of a league table when measuring the exam results achieved by disadvantaged pupils.

Attainment graphs

Although the number of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs including Maths and English in 2013/14 was good, the results for those from disadvantaged backgrounds was worse then elsewhere in the country.

 The gap in York at primary school age (KS2) is 23 percentage points.

This widens to a 40 percentage point difference between disadvantaged pupils and their peers at GCSE level: just 29 per cent of disadvantaged pupils in York achieve five or more good GSCEs, while 69 per cent of their peers do.

The government’s flagship “pupil premium” funding was intended to address this issue.

Someone at the York Council needs to start explaining why some secondary schools seem to be letting down those pupils from a disadvantaged background.

Council Leaders have been quick to jump on any good news from this organisation.

When a downturn in performance become apparent, silence isn’t an adequate explanation.

New figures released this week show that estimate smoking rates among young people in York are above the national average.

Commissioned by Public Health England and NICE, and modelled by the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton, the figures are estimates of youth smoking rates for every local authority, ward and local NHS level – based on factors known to predict young people smoking.

The data will help City of York Council and other organisations in the city to respond to levels of smoking and is available on PHE’s Local Health website.

The council welcomes Public Health England’s ambition is to reduce smoking rates among young people to secure a tobacco-free generation. In York an estimated 14.54% of 15 year olds are regular or occasional smokers, compared to the national estimate of 12.71%.

The figures mirror adult smoking rates which are falling less rapidly in some areas, with smoking rates considerably higher in deprived communities. Smoking is the single biggest cause of the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest in England.

Nearly eight million people still smoke, with 90% having started before the age of 19.  There are 28,888 people who smoke in York.

City of York Council’s Acting Director of Public Health, Julie Hotchkiss said: “Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health, but not starting smoking at all is even better.  If we can stop young people starting smoking before the age of 19 then they stand the best chance of enjoying the health, social and financial benefits of a smoke-free life.

“Although the national modelling shows the number of 15-year-olds who smoke often or regularly in York to be higher than average, last summer’s survey of Year 10 students showed the rates were about in line with the national average.  However City of York Council is aiming to prevent all children from taking up smoking in the next few years, to create a smoke-free generation.”

With the help of North Yorkshire and York’s NHS Smokefree Service “New You”, you’re up to four times more likely to quit for good.  For help to quit smoking telephone 0300 303 1603.

Government give £90,000 to help fund York children’s project

Hob Moor children's centre

Hob Moor children’s centre

The government has announced that it will help to fund Improvements to children’s centre services in the City.

The announcement was made by Stephen Williams MP

It forms part of a government project which help councils deliver “more for less” by working with local communities and neighbourhood groups to redesign services to address their needs.

York has today been awarded a share of £2 million to develop the childrens scheme further.

Communities Minister Stephen Williams announced 24 successful bidders for “Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods” funding after they set out innovative approaches to “transform services, drawing on the energy and expertise of local people to help to reduce reliance on public services and cut waste – giving local people a greater role in solving problems in their local area by themselves”.

Liberal Democrat Councillors are monitoring the project closely. They want to ensure that the work of local children’s centres is enhanced by any changes.

There was a fear that proposals tabled by Labour last year were just a cost cutting exercise.

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Schools inspectorate publishes list of “failing” York schools

York schools reports published “on line”

Ofsted have made their inspection reports – and statistical tables for all schools – available “on line”.York High

The statistical sheet for York High can be viewed by clicking here.

Other York secondary schools can be accessed by clicking here

You can access Primary schools on the Ofsted web site here or, for west York schools, click the links below

Most York schools are performing well.

One exception was Canon Lee (which has already been subject to widespread media comment)

Five Primary schools were criticised in their last Ofsted reports

Nine York Primary schools were rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted.

GCSE results

Meanwhile  Key Stage 4 School Performance Tables published today show that many York schools achieved excellent results and are well above national averages.

The percentage of pupils gaining five or more A*–C grades at GCSE (or equivalent), including English and Maths, is 62 per cent. This is 6 percentage points above the national average and places York in the top spot in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

The results place York in the top 14 per cent of Local Authorities in England. 

York is also in the top 10 per cent of Local Authorities in England for pupils achieving the ‘English Baccalaureate’, and in the top third for pupils achieving ‘at least expected rates’ of progress from the end of Key Stage 2.
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Schools face overcrowding challenge in York

Return of the mobile classroom?

School place shortfall

The majority of primary schools are overcrowded according to new figures released by the York Council.

Although some new building works are planned, the position would be exacerbated if Labour’s “Big City” Local Plan gets the go ahead.

Developers are required to pay for additional school places, when providing more homes, permanent provision often lags some years behind new homes being occupied.

Some primary school sites – such as Our Lady’s on Windsor Garth – have been sold for redevelopment, adding to local pressures.

The position at York’s primary schools means that pressure on Secondary school places – only one of which is currently beyond capacity – will build over the next 5 years.

By 2019 an additional 635 secondary school desks will be required.

For many years Oaklands school (the predecessor of York High) operated with several mobile classrooms. Apart from the classrooms being remote from the main building, extra pupils placed pressure on communal facilities such as assembly halls.

Lack of spaces may further reduce the choice available to parents when they decide which school to send their children to.