Disadvantaged Pupils In Brighton & Hove Continue To Lag Behind Others

Disadvantaged school pupils in Brighton and Hove have not been achieving the same results as their better-off classmates, according to a new report to councillors.

The report on educational standards said that results had improved for disadvantaged pupils – and their GCSE results were better than the south east average for those who were disadvantaged.

But an analysis found poorer outcomes for youngsters in two council electoral wards – Moulsecoomb and Bevendean and East Brighton – for Key Stage 2 SATs (standard assessment tests) and Key Stage 4 GCSEs last year.

In Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, just 26 per cent of the 125 GCSE students living in the area achieved the top grades of 9 to 5 in GCSE English and maths.

At Key Stage 2, 45 per cent of the 137 pupils achieved the expected reading, writing and maths standard.

In East Brighton, which includes the Whitehawk estate, 37 per cent of the 137 GCSE students in the area achieved grades 9 to 5 in English and maths.

And at Key Stage 2, 44 per cent of the 154 pupils achieved the expected reading, writing and maths standard.

In contrast, 75 per cent of the 153 GCSE students in Withdean ward achieved 9 to 5 grades in English and maths, making it the highest performing area at Key Stage 4.

At Key Stage 2, the best-performing ward was Westbourne where 81 per cent of the 73 pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

The report said:

“Maths and reading projects will continue to target all schools within the most deprived wards and, where they are not already engaged, work will be undertaken to understand why.

“Likewise, wider training and professional development offers will target these schools to ensure they benefit.

“The local authority will continue to work with the multi-academy trusts to develop strong relationships and look at shared approaches to supporting the pupils in these wards.

“We are reviewing the current partnership cluster model to ensure that schools in Whitehawk are active participants in strong partnerships that focus on school improvement.

“We will continue to work with community partners such as Class Divide to look at practical steps that can be taken to improve the educational experience of children and young people in these wards.”

Class Divide is a campaign group seeking better educational outcomes for youngsters living in the Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estate areas.

A training programme with the Education Endowment Foundation and an unnamed research school have targeted disadvantaged children at 26 schools across the city.

According to the report, the programme has resulted in disadvantaged pupils achieving higher than expected reading, writing and maths standards than the national average at Key Stage 2.

Thirteen schools are taking part in a follow-up programme.

Schools that used the “Every Child Counts” maths programme for disadvantaged pupils reported youngsters improving their progress by more than an academic year.

The “Every Child a Reader” programme had also been credited with enabling pupils to make almost two years of progress.

The report, to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee, said that, overall, outcomes were strong in Brighton and Hove.

It added:

“On key measures at the end of primary education (Key Stage 2) or at GCSE, pupils as a whole in the city tend to achieve in line with or above pupils nationally.

“The challenge that disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as those who are not disadvantaged remains.

“Our schools are committed to addressing this, supported by an ‘Educational Disadvantage Strategy’ and ‘A Fairer Brighton and Hove Framework’.”

Disadvantaged children attract “pupil premium” funding for schools from the Department for Education and they include children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those who qualify for free school meals and those who have been adopted from care or are looked after by the council.

The council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Monday (6 March). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.