The Parent Action Group at Gladstone Park School today released a press notification to say that the school's results are exceeding all expectations and that the DfE should recognise the excellent progress made by the school under its existing governance arrangements, and end the uncertainty over its future by withdrawing the threat to forced academisation.
Using the standard Average Point Score measure, Key Stage 2 children are expected to progress by 1 point per term on average in reading, writing and maths. Over the Autumn and Spring Terms, where 2 points progress for each year group would be expected, the overall average figures for Gladstone Park Primary School are:
If, as anticipated, this trend continues through the Summer Term, it will make Gladstone Park Primary School one of the best performing in the country in terms of value added (progress against expectations). This is thanks to the school’s own improvement plan, with the support of the Local Education Authority and other local community schools, and the energy and commitment of the teachers.
Yet despite these results, the Department for Education (DfE) is still trying to force Gladstone Park Primary School to become an academy, over the objections of parents, governors and staff. The DfE says that it will select an academy sponsor and impose it on the school, and only then consult with the parents over what is effectively a done deal. However, such a change would be highly disruptive, and threatens to undo all the good work done so far.
