The Isle of Wight secondary schools have been shown up, yet again, to be failing the Island’s teenage pupils.
The latest exposure of this couldn’t have been more high profile.
At National launch
Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, launching the organisation’s annual report, spoke of a ‘two nations’ gap in school standards, highlighting that only 14% of secondary pupils on the Isle of Wight are going to a ‘Good’ school is the worst in the England.
Across the country eight in ten schools are rated as ‘Good’ or better.
The only secondary school on the Isle of Wight that has been rated by Ofsted as ‘Good’ is Christ the King College.
IW bottom by some measure
As can be seen from the Ofsted table below, of lowest performers, the next lowest to the Island is 50% better than the Island and the third worst, Stoke-on-Trent, is 2.5 times better than the Island.
- Bradford/ St Helens/ Blackpool/ Salford 47%
- Tameside 46%
- Doncaster 43%
- Middlesbrough 42%
- North East Lincolnshire 41%
- East Riding of Yorkshire 38%
- Hartlepool 35%
- Stoke-on-Trent 34%
- Barnsley 22%
- Isle of Wight 14%
Request for comment
Shortly before publishing we contacted the Council and Cllr Richard Priest, the Cabinet member now responsible for education, to find out their reaction , but as yet we haven’t heard back.
Update 15:57
Councillor Richard Priest, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member for children’s services said:
“We are clear that there is a lot of work to be done with our schools on the Island to drive up the standard of education. This is why we have entered into a strategic partnership with Hampshire County Council.
“Since that partnership became effective in the summer (1 July), visits have been made to all the Island’s schools and the council has been working closely with them on their plans for improvement as a matter of urgency.
“We are fully committed to turning our schools around for the better and will ensure that the points made by Ofsted in its annual report are addressed in our own education improvement plans as well as individual schools’ plans.”
Discrepancy
There’s some discrepancy between Ofsted’s 14% figures and that used by John Coughlan, Director of Children’s Services at Hampshire that now oversees the Isle of Wight, who said it was 11%, back in September. We’re also seeking clarification for this too.
Update 15:57
This in from the council
In respect to the 11% and 14% query you raised, the 11% was calculated on the available pupil numbers at the time. Because pupil numbers fluctuate across schools, and the fact that Ofsted are likely to have produced their report at a different time to when John Coughlin gave his report, that is why there is a difference in the figures.
Source: BBC: Ofsted warns of ‘two nations’ gap in school standards
Screengrab – BBC: BBC: Ofsted warns of ‘two nations’ gap in school standards
