Medway Labour welcomes the improvement in GCSE results seen across a number of Medway schools, but remain concerned about flat-lining A-level results, and the significant divide between the top and bottom performers, with the gap widening on previous years.
Despite the Council’s statements, the GCSE results in Medway were below par with only 55.7% achieving five good GCSEs, when compared to a national average of 58.2%. So although Medway has seen improved and drawn closer with the national position over the last five years, it still consistently remains below average. Grammar Schools were the only schools in Medway to get above average GCSE results.
All other publicly funded schools – whether comprehensive, secondary modern, community, academy or sponsored – recorded below average performance. That means 72.5% of all pupils in Medway taking GCSEs attend schools that are below average performance.
We are concerned by the direction Medway’s education department has taken under Cllr Les Wicks - it has been hit by incompetence over Primary School re-organisation, the 11+ test fiasco, and now below average secondary schools.
We believe these results reinforce the arguments for why we need a new portfolio holder in the post. A-level results have dipped, and we still have relatively small numbers progressing on to take A-Levels in comparison with other areas in the South East, making direct comparison difficult. However, according to research by the Centre for Cities think-tank, Medway is ranked 51 out of 64 in terms of educational attainment at this level level, with only 22.8% going onto gain further education qualifications.
Commenting Cllr Adam Price, Education Spokesperson for Medway Labour said:
“Whilst we are always happy to celebrate improving GCSE results, there continues to be a significant number of schools that perform below average standards.”
“We are very concerned to note that the Bishop of Rochester and Robert Napier schools GCSE results respectively, put both schools among the 20 worst performing in the UK, with the former the third worst performing overall.”
“It is not acceptable that almost half of local young people are leaving education without five basic GCSEs. This damages future potential for Medway and politicians from all parties must continue to vigorously pursue the aim of improving attainment across the board.”
Commenting, Cllr Sam Craven, who serves the Luton & Wayfield ward, said,
“As local ward councillors we have been reassuring residents that we have taken their concerns on the Bishop of Rochester Academy to the council. We are supporting and representing their concerns all the way. I am extremely worried by these results and can only hope that the new super head will turn BORA school around, offering our young people the high expectations and prospects they deserve.
The Labour group will continue to push the council portfolio holder Cllr Wicks, and the officers, to address improvement issues urgently. The people of Medway should not tolerate any more failures and shouldn’t be expected to put up with Cllr Wick’s usual defence of ‘We will learn from this’ when our poorly performing schools continue to struggle under his watch.”
