Before the Spring of 2020, it was unthinkable that school examinations would be cancelled, and no one anticipated the disruption that would follow. Although this year sees the second set of results since statutory exams resumed, they are the first since the pandemic that will be published nationally at a school level. Last week Camden Primary schools were issued with individual data analysis of their KS1 performance, and this week saw unvalidated KS2 outcomes released with GCSE and A level results due to follow in August.
Early indications from teacher assessments at KS1 suggest that the numbers of pupils in this cohort in Camden achieving the age expected standard in reading and writing remain around 5% below where they were in 2019, with maths making a better recovery. This is a cohort for whom early years education was most disrupted by school closures. The impact on basic skills including oracy has been well documented nationally particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
While national outcomes at KS2 of 59% reading, writing, maths combined remain stubbornly low, early provisional KS2 results suggest Camden continues to achieve well above this at 70% with strong progress scores. However, provisional Reading results fell to 81% from 85% in 2022. Nationally, Reading also fell to 73%, from 75%. Writing results remained at 78% whilst nationally, Writing increased to 71%, from 70%. Provisional Maths results fell to 80%, from 83% in 2022. They remain above national results (at 73%). The gap between disadvantaged and other pupils at 16% remains narrower than that nationally (23%) but still significant. Camden data booklets now highlight the relative difference in attainment for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils compared to the national picture to support understanding of the impact on this group and any work still to be done. We will present a further breakdown at our Heads meetings in September.
One of our four shared foundations for success, so well articulated in BBS, is for an ambitious inclusive system that breaks down the barriers to learning by calling out and addressing inequalities so that no one is left behind. The imperative here is for schools themselves to recognise where their own provision has, and has not, met needs well enough and use this as a lever to even greater ambition. Some Camden Primary schools have made notable achievement gains this year, with attainment gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils closed or removed altogether. It is these pupils who can have the most barriers to learning but for whom education can make the most difference and typically it is the belief and ambition of teachers and school leaders that has the most impact. Thank you.
We are approaching the last week of term and next week will be our final bulletin of the year. I am sure that in the flurry of end of term events you sometimes feel that the Summer break might never come. Please be assured it will! As the American fitness pioneer Bonnie Prudden said, ‘you can’t turn back the clock but you can wind it up again’.
Enjoy the weekend!
Stephen Hall
Chief Executive Officer, Camden Learning
