This week it finally feels like Spring might have arrived at last with some welcome sunshine! It has also been wonderful to see so many pupils singing and playing in the Camden Music Spring Festival, the festival is a 12-concert series involving almost every school in the borough, and several of the borough ensembles. Although the children have been coming together for a shared live performance in host secondary schools, the audience is watching at home on the livestream, and this has meant that many parents, grandparents and siblings who might not have been able to attend a live event are able to watch and enjoy this celebration of Camden’s musical talent. The first three concerts alone, involving around 400 children, have been viewed in 41 countries, by 1752 devices/households. Looking forward to next year when we are back at the Royal Albert Hall for the festival of music, please make sure I receive an invite!

This week, I attended Children’s Scrutiny with Camden councillors, where I presented the annual Achievement and Standards report, which is attached for your reference and perusal. I reminded members that there were no statutory tests for pupils in primary schools, but that outcomes at the end of KS2 in 2019 were in the top 10% nationally. However, the cumulative ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic has made the progress of children in Early Years more difficult to assess and there is a general concern about the amount of learning lost for all pupils, lower than expected pupil attendance and the impact on the social, emotional and communication aspects of children’s development.

I referenced the importance of reading and early reading throughout my report and the strong link to the Education Strategy and the ambition for every child a reader by age seven. The only real benchmark in primary was the Year 1 Phonics Test, which was postponed until the 2020/21 autumn term, where results were similar to previous years, with 81% of pupils reaching the expected standard, similar to both national and London averages. Scrutiny were very interested in reading, particularly in the early years and also access to books, especially for those children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Due to a second year of cancelled secondary examinations in the summer of 2021, results this reporting year are based on Teacher Assessed Grades, rather than on the usual examination process or CAGs in 2020. TAGs in Camden were underpinned by a set of locally agreed principles of standardisation and moderation, which was a more thorough and accurate process than the previous year. For me, the importance of young people achieving a pass in English and Math is essential for career prospects; important to note that the gap between English and Maths at GCSE has narrowed both for a Strong pass (down from 19% to 12%) and for a Standard pass (down from 10% to 6%). However, this will continue to be a major focus for the future.

Attainment for disadvantaged pupils improved and the gap narrowed when compared to all other pupils, and results for SEND pupils also improved and are well above national and in line with London. Outcomes for A-Levels, the average points score of 39.4 which remains close to national averages, this will be a focus over the next 12 months as we implement the Post 16 action plan. Take a look at the report in slide form, it is easily accessible and is a useful lens to compare your own summative and in-house data. My thanks to Kellyanne Wray for all her hard work on this well presented and designed report.

Finally, a huge thank you to those of you who were able to attend my farewell event on Thursday evening, it was just so kind of you to come along and find time in your busy schedules to raise a glass. It was such a memorable and special occasion for me; a sincere thank you for all your generous messages and the speeches were really quite emotional. Also, many thanks for your overwhelming generosity, I was quite taken back by the gifts which included travel vouchers (something special to book and look forward to), notebooks (how I love a notebook too) and a bottle of champagne. Thank you all.

Jon Abbey

Managing Director of Camden Learning