County chief says schools 'coasting' (From Witney Gazette)

County chief says schools 'coasting'

4:59pm Thursday 31st January 2008 in Headlines By Reg Little

OXFORDSHIRE'S new education chief Janet Tomlinson has delivered a withering verdict on the county's "under-performing" state schools.

She warned that children have a better chance of acquiring good GSCE results in Slough than Oxfordshire, with the county at the bottom of league tables comparing educational performance with similar affluent rural counties.

And she blamed "complacency" in secondary schools for the failure to bring about much-needed improvements, promising new measures at schools deemed to be "coasting".

Ms Tomlinson, Oxfordshire's director of children, young people and families, said she had decided to speak out having had six months to assess the standard of state education offered by the county.

She fears that some heads were "in denial" about overall performance and consistently disappointing GCSE results.

Ms Tomlinson said: "In general, children in Slough now have a higher chance of getting good GCSEs than children. In Oxfordshire terms of educational achievement Oxfordshire schools should be doing much better.

"Analysis of schools' test and exam results show Oxfordshire to be at around the national average. But if you look at other relatively affluent counties with similar blends of market towns, cities and rural areas, Oxfordshire is at the bottom.

"Not a single secondary school in Oxfordshire has yet been been judged as outstanding by Ofsted."

Ms Tomlinson, who arrived in Oxfordshire last summer from Slough where she was director of education, said new measures were being drawn up to address the problems of under-achievement.

She promised "decisive early intervention" when schools were in danger of failing.

Multi-agency support teams, including health workers, would be sent into schools in areas with high levels of homelessness or other social problems.

But the director said teams of specialist subject teachers and advisers will be sent to schools deemed to be treading water.

"In terms of intervention, 'schools in danger of failing' will not just mean schools facing special measures. We will certainly want to go into schools considered to be coasting."

Ms Tomlinson said the county council's School Improvement service would be completely revamped, with new experts brought in. Heads and teachers would be encouraged to visit successfully-run schools outside the county, with an accreditation scheme, Excellence in Oxfordshire, introduced to reward successful schools.

She added: "We hope to recruit headteachers who have successfully turned schools around. There has already been a refreshing number of new headteachers who have come into the authority bringing new ideas."

This year's figures for Oxfordshire showed 57 per cent of of pupils achieved five GCSEs at grade C or better, a slight improvement on 56.3 per cent in 2006.

But the county is still well behind schools in Buckinghamshire, where nearly 69.2 per cent reached this Government benchmark, and Slough, an immigration hot-spot where English is the second language of many students, which still managed 63.7 per cent. The county also trailed Gloucestershire, with 64 per cent, and Cambridgeshire, with 60.6 per cent.

Ms Tomlinson dismissed the suggestion that one key factor was the large number of successful independent schools in Oxfordshire which meant a high proportion of the brightest pupils did not go into state schools. She said other affluent surrounding counties had similar numbers of public schools but still performed much better.

Chris Harris, head of Larkmead School, Abingdon, said: "The director is right. But improvements only come through a solid base and it can take up to five years before you notice any difference. The main drive must come from individual schools who will bring up the whole county.

"We would not need to be told what support we needed. We would already know."