Agenda item

To consider the outcomes for children in the 2020 summer examinations at GCSE and A-Level (or equivalent) and to consider the impact upon attainment of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Paul Turner, Head of School Standards, Safeguarding and Inclusion presented a report outlining the projected outcomes for children in the 2020 summer examinations at GCSE and A-Level and the anticipated impact on attainment of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Turner reported that a significant proportion of pupils who applied to go to university in September 2020 had been successful despite initial disappointment when grades had been moderated downwards by an algorithm created by the Department for Education. This had also been evident at GCSE level, initially affecting the opportunity for pupils to progress on to college or work and apprenticeships. Once the algorithm had been discounted and the awarding method reverted to centre assessed grades, this allowed children to progress onto their chosen destinations. The Committee requested information on the specific numbers of pupils who had been unsuccessful in gaining a place at their chosen university as a result of the algorithm process as well as the number of examination retakes and appeals, which Mr Turner agreed to circulate to Members following the meeting.

The Committee was informed that Ofsted inspections had been suspended and Mr Turner advised that this would potentially have an impact upon the progress that Blackpool schools that were not yet ‘Good’ would have towards achieving a grade of ‘Good’ or better. The Committee questioned whether schools would still be making progress towards their improvement, suggesting that continued development despite the reduction in Ofsted inspections should be aimed for. Mr Turner assured Committee Members that a support package was available to all schools via Blackpool’s Education Improvement Board and that progress had not ceased with regards to each school’s improvement journey. He anticipated that sufficient progress would be achieved and that monitoring via the Education Improvement Board and Academy Trusts would continue.

The Committee sought information on next year’s cohort of pupils who would be due to sit their examinations in summer 2021, seeking clarity on any support that would be provided to pupils to compensate for any learning which had been missed as a result of the pandemic. Mr Turner informed Members that schools would be in receipt of a catch-up grant of £80 per pupil which could be used to provide additional tuition for pupils. In addition he advised that on-line learning packages, remote teaching and the provision of recorded lessons would all be made available for any pupils who were required to miss school due to Covid-19. Decisions were still to be taken with regards to the summer examinations, with the suggestion that pupils might only sit examinations for core subjects.

The support being offered to schools was praised by the Committee and the importance of protecting staff and pupil well-being was noted. Members discussed the system of assessing pupils’ well-being via the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School survey (PASS), with the benefits of collecting data on pupils year-on-year to generate a clear profile being considered. Mr Turner confirmed that the PASS assessment had been implemented across all Blackpool schools, with a long-term funding commitment being made to the assessment programme.

In response to a question on whether Blackpool had experienced an increase in applications for pupils to be home schooled, Mr Turner reported that Elective Home Education (EHE) had seen an initial surge of cases in September 2020, with approximately 90 per cent of new applications being as a result of the Covid-19 situation. As such, Mr Turner anticipated that a proportion of these would be temporarily home schooled and would apply to return to school once the pandemic had subsided. He informed the Committee that 1.6 full time equivalent members of staff had been recruited as EHE Officers to support families who chose to educate their children at home.

The Committee agreed: That the town-wide Pupil Attitude to Self and School (PASS) survey data be brought to a future meeting of the Committee.