This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

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mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by mystery »

I know these league tables are always flawed in multiple respects, but there has to be some real and significant difference of some sort between the top and bottom of the table:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/repo ... ls-schools" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at the last four or five pages or the report for the tables of primary schools area by area.

It illustrates maybe one of the reasons why we have some radically different perspectives on here?

The table also roughly fits with some things I'd noticed when I looked at level 5 results at KS2 area by area.
Last edited by mystery on Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JRM
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Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:32 pm

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by JRM »

That's interesting. It's the first time I've looked by LEA. I get the feeling from this board that obviously standards are much higher in some areas, but still thought that it might just be because obviously there are a lot of posts about the really top schools.

I looked at the table of the 'bad' areas first and thought the percentage achieving good or outstanding was about what I expected. It shows how conditioned I am. I was genuinely surprised to see quite how much higher it was in the 'good' areas.

I suppose that is why we can afford a house here.
It does reinforce my belief that it is my job to help educate my children too.
The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
Dr Seuss
Reading Mum
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Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Reading Mum »

It certainly backs up why I chose to send DD to indie for primary - Reading is 7th from the bottom of the list :(
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by mystery »

You are close to us!
Tinkers
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Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Tinkers »

Reading Mum wrote:It certainly backs up why I chose to send DD to indie for primary - Reading is 7th from the bottom of the list :(
One of the primaries in East Reading has just got a 'Good' report from Ofsted and another got 'Good' a couple months ago. I can't comment on others in Reading.
Snowdrops
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Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Snowdrops »

Wow, what I'm shocked by is how far down North Yorkshire is. I was always under the impression we had good schools (and we mostly do) but it was listed approximately half way.

I just think it's so unfair when children are not given the same education opportunities, I really do :(
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TraffordMum
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Location: Trafford

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by TraffordMum »

It is indeed very interesting reading and it certainly does shed some light on how different some areas of the country are from others. There's a corresponding secondary one, I think, because my local paper reported on both reports this week.
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Amber »

Please do remember that the report is highly politicised and that behind every one of these reports is an agenda...Michael Wilshaw is hardly Mother Teresa, and nothing will mobilise parents behind the government's plans for academies and free schools like a bit of middle class discontent in 'poor performing' areas. The 'tightening up' of the framework to become 'simpler' and 'more rigorous ' is also aimed, IMHO, at appeasing the middle classes who believe that too many schools are rated outstanding when they clearly aren't: just as exams have got easier and summers worse and policemen younger...what is urban myth and what is 'true'? Persuade everyone that something is broken and they will want to fix it; oh look, Mr Gove has the answer right here, how useful.

If you are in one of these 'poor areas' I suggest a few deep breaths and a look at the actual measures being used to rate schools; better be quick to dodge the moving goalposts and look out for low flying vested interests at the same time.

As one teachers' union (not in any way one known for militancy says)
The last thing schools need is Ofsted using its annual report as propaganda for academies. This annual report is highly political and the chief inspector's criticism about local political leadership goes way beyond Ofsted's role. (ATL)

No good will ever come of a regime designed to 'name and shame' rather than support and encourage; but if the real agenda is actually political rather than educational, then a large helping of parental dissatisfaction whipped up by media coverage of a highly partial report will do no harm at all to the cause. Soon everyone will be crying out for schools to become academies...well surely that way they will improve...?
Looking for help
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Location: Berkshire

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Looking for help »

We were in Bracknell Forest which happened to rank pretty well for primary schools. We don't live there anymore.
However and I hope I don't get in trouble for saying it, quite a lot of the secondary schools certainly when I was looking were absolutely dire. (I believe there has been some improvements recently though).

I know that if there was a choice to make I would far prefer to have great secondary schools, tbh.

But it's all meaningless because not that long ago the inspectors were being slated for dishing out far too many 'outstandings' so what's the point in publishing the statistics ? Beats me :o
Tinkers
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Location: Reading

Re: This is depressing if you live in the wrong place

Post by Tinkers »

Looking for help wrote:We were in Bracknell Forest which happened to rank pretty well for primary schools. We don't live there anymore.
However and I hope I don't get in trouble for saying it, quite a lot of the secondary schools certainly when I was looking were absolutely dire. (I believe there has been some improvements recently though).
Colleague of mine lives in Bracknell. Has a DS in year 4. He will not be sending DS to a Bracknell school if he can avoid them.
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