Plan devised to tackle poor pupil performance

15 hours ago

Martin HeathBedfordshire political reporter

News image — Many of the key indicators for pupil attainment are below average in Central Bedfordshire

AFP via Getty Images File shot of a school classroom. A boy wearing a white school T-shirt is sitting on a blue plastic chair at a grey desk. He is holding a piece of white paper with his left hand and drawing on it with a red pencil with his right. There is another picture on the table and a wooden box rests in front of him. There is a girl in a blue dress to his right who is also holding a pencil. — Many of the key indicators for pupil attainment are below average in Central Bedfordshire

A support plan is being devised for an area where the performance of primary-age children has been below the national average for a decade.

Central Bedfordshire Council said the issue was due to a number of factors including deprivation, poor attendance and most pupils having to change school twice.

One councillor has called for the removal of the three-tier system as a way of dealing with the problem.

New figures also showed the area received one of the lowest amounts of funding per pupil in the UK.

A council report said in their first year at school, the performance of children in Central Bedfordshire was above the national average, according to 2024 figures.

But by the age of 11, the number of children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 8% lower than the average.

The report said their performance continued to deteriorate in secondary school, with all the key areas measured being lower than average.

Just over 40% of children were achieving grades nine to five in English and Maths GCSEs - 6% below the average figure.

A-level scores were also below the figure, but Applied General Qualifications were slightly above the average across the country.

The report said that factors causing the poor performance in Central Bedfordshire included:

Absence rates which were higher than the national average
A three-tier education system in which some pupils change schools twice
Deprivation
"Unfair" education funding

Figures show that Central Bedfordshire gets one of the lowest grants per pupil in England - £8,884 for the current financial year.

Among the measures included in the support plan are:

Bespoke training for teachers in writing
Collaborative working groups for schools
In-school support for the worst schools
More training for governors

Phil Shepka/BBC The school entrance protected by green gates and railings. There is a red notice with white writing on the gates. There are posts marking the side of the road in front of the entrance, and a path beyond it which is flanked by grass verges. Trees are visible on the verges and there is a two-storey house to the right. — Some schools in Central Bedfordshire, including All Saints Academy in Dunstable, take pupils from year seven, but others take them from year nine

Ian Adams, the Conservative councillor for Flitwick, was disappointed the plan did not include a timetable for dismantling the three-tier system in the areas where it still applies.

He said: "I am of the belief that the three-tier system is what's causing many of the issues around attainment, so that needs dealing with as quickly as possible.

"I don't want to keep being told it's sometime in the future."

Gareth Mackey, with brown hair and a beard, looking at the camera. He is wearing glasses, a white shirt and brown jacket. He is standing in front of a red and grey wall. — Councillor Gareth Mackey said the authority would be open about the progress of the support plan

The executive member for children and families on the Independent-controlled authority, Gareth Mackey, said: "We have already taken forward a wide range of actions, including expanded training for teachers, strengthened support in writing, phonics and maths, and early language screening.

"We will continue to report openly on the progress of the Education Attainment Support Plan and the Early Language and Inclusion Pathway (ELIP) as this work develops."

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