Schools are ‘consistently performing above national averages’ in Southwark as new league tables reveal that 90 per cent are now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
The annual School Standards Report shows in early years provision, Southwark has continued a five-year trend of improvement. The borough ranked in the top bracket for the percentage of children achieving a good level of development. Southwark is also in the top 25 per cent of local authorities in England for year one phonics performance.
Key stage one standard performance for writing has also improved and remains above national and London averages, and reading and maths are also above average compared to the rest of England.
At Key stage two, Southwark is also in the top bracket of all local authorities in England for reading, writing and maths combined, and is also consistently above national averages for maths and science.
Despite changes in grading systems, at GCSE, pupils in Southwark have stayed above London and national averages, and A Level grades have also remained above national levels.
For children with special educational needs or disabilities, Osfted inspectors have found that at the end of all key stages their achievements compare well with pupils in other parts of the country.
Councillor Jasmine Ali, cabinet member for children, schools and adult social care, said the results – which come after £200 million in education investment and a new school-building programme for more places – ‘speak for themselves’.
She told the News: “Our head teachers, staff, parents and children have told us of how the improved quality of their learning spaces has made a difference to their learning and working lives.
“We want all our pupils in Southwark to get the start they need to meet their dreams, whichever path in life they choose.
“Teachers, students and of course parents, should be very proud of themselves for improving results.”
At the end of the 2017-18 academic year, Southwark’s schools included five nurseries, 73 primaries, 18 secondaries, one all through school, one pupil referral unit, seven special schools and two hospital schools, educating a total of 43,038 pupils.
Forty-three per cent of children in Southwark are eligible for the pupil premium – extra school funding to help close the gap between more disadvantaged children and their peers.