Once again, North East schools have shown determination and skill in the face of adversity to produce some amazing KS2 results this week. Congratulations to all staff and pupils who contributed to this achievement!
Post-pandemic recovery and a harrowing cost-of-living crisis weren’t enough to stop 60 per cent of North East pupils from reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths in 22/23.
This means our region had the second highest percentage in England!
Pause for a moment and let that sink in.
Despite the unprecedented disruption this cohort of pupils has experienced; despite the cost-of-living crisis and messy post-pandemic recovery, and despite the higher rates of long term disadvantaged students in our region, the North East achieved the second best results in the country; second only to a better funded and resourced London.
How? Because of the incredible effort and hard work that school staff in the North East have put in to support children in the face of all these challenges, and the high level of professional skills of those staff. Now that’s something to puff your chests out for.
The journey isn’t over yet
The KS2 attainment data released by the DfE also highlights that while London continues to be the highest performing region, the gap between London and the North East has narrowed slightly since last year.
However, this follows on from a widening of the gap post-pandemic, and so the gap is still wider than it was in 2018/19.
Celebrating our region’s latest achievements is a must, but as always, we should then follow this up with a big step back to look at the bigger picture.
While the KS2 attainment shows generally positive results, especially when considering the challenges, percentages remain significantly behind the government’s ‘levelling-up’ target of 90% of primary school children to achieve the expected standard by 2030.
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Schools and their pupils should be congratulated for these amazing results. This has been achieved despite higher absence rates and days lost due to Covid in the North East, compared to other areas of the country.
“However, if the Prime Minister is still committed to the targets set out in the Levelling Up White Paper and Schools White Paper, then we urgently need a long-term strategic plan and vision for the education system.”
A recent report also revealed that schools in the North are losing out on hundreds of pounds of funding per pupil compared to those in London.
If we look specifically at the North East compared to London, this difference amounts to £385 per pupil per year.
Chris continued: “Without serious additional investment in North East schools, we risk losing the progress made in closing the disadvantage gap before the pandemic.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said they’re investing in 55 Education Investment Areas with around half located in the north, where they’re implementing a package of measures to drive school improvement and improve pupil outcomes.
This is a must, as it’s no secret that the North East has continuously lacked the appropriate funding and government support in comparison to the other regions.
Just think… If we can produce such positive results under these inadequate circumstances, imagine what we could do with the right policies in place?!
