Progress made - but Peterborough still below national standard

Key Stage Four results - for pupils aged 16 - were released this week, and while the city’s figures were better than last year’s scores, Peterborough is still below the national average.

Government league tables now rank schools and authorities for Progress 8 - the progress pupils make in eight subjects from when they join the school in year 7 to when they leave aged 16.

Just two Peterborough secondary schools scored above average for progress made (Both The King’s School and St John Fisher scored well above average), with five schools being rated as below average.

Overall, Peterborough was given a Progress 8 score of -0.15, described as below average. The national average is -0.03.

However, this is an improvement on last year’s score, which in Peterborough was -0.2, compared to a national score of -0.02.

The city also finished below the national average for Attainment 8, with a score of 42.2, compared to a national score of 46.7. Peterborough’s score in this category was also an improvement on last year, when it scored 42.

Jonathan Lewis, director of education at Peterborough City Council said work was being done to continue the improvements.

He said: “We remain fully committed to working with schools and academies to continue to make improvements at Key Stage 4 level. We are seeing some improvement, particularly in Progress 8 where we have seen some significant improvement compared to other local authorities and we hope to further close the gap to national average this year.

“Going forward, our focus will be on improving attainment especially at Grade 5-9 in both English and Mathematics. Maths is one of our key focus and we will be working to improve general performance, which is below the national average.

“We have undertaken a number of initiatives which we are confident will support further improvement across the city. There is a strong secondary school head teachers group who encourage collaboration and share best practice.”

While the city as a whole saw an improvement, there were celebrations at Queen Katharine Academy, which recorded a big improvement in its Progress 8 rating.

Last year the school was given a score of -0.56 but this year that had risen to -0.28. The publication of the tables comes just weeks after the school was given its first ever good Ofsted report.

Principal Lynn Mayes said: “Progress 8 has improved by 0.6 at Queen Katharine Academy since we joined the Thomas Deacon Education Trust in January 2017, meaning pupils are now achieving over half a grade higher than they were previously.

“These results, combined with our recent Good Ofsted rating, demonstrate clearly that we are providing a high-quality of education for our pupils and giving them high aspirations and opportunities for their future. I am very proud of our colleagues and pupils for their hard work and dedication in getting to this point.”

The City of Peterborough Academy also saw an improvement in Progress 8 score, rising to 0.14 from 0.2 last year.

Ben Pearce, Principal at the City of Peterborough Academy, said: “We are delighted that our pupils are continuing to make good progress, demonstrating the value the City of Peterborough Academy adds to our pupils from when they join us at 11 until they leave at 16 after their GCSEs.

“As an Academy, we are committed to providing a supportive and well-rounded learning environment and the results today are a testament to the hard work of our pupils, parents and staff.”

The Academy is also continuing to increase its high rate of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The results show that 51% of pupils have entered the EBacc, which is significantly above the Peterborough average of 29% and the national average of 40%.

Schools Minister, Lord Agnew said: “These results are truly impressive and demonstrate what can be achieved through the hard work of pupils, teachers and leaders. The City of Peterborough Academy is demonstrating its worth by driving up entry to the EBacc – which is key to opening opportunities for young people and raising standards in our schools.”