Secondary schools stay out of red as new bandings revealed
NONE of Bridgend’s secondary schools have been ranked in the lowest red band as the latest Welsh Government colour rankings were released last week.
But Wales’ Education Minister expressed concern about the number of schools elsewhere needing the most support.
Each secondary and primary is labelled with one of four colours. The system was launched by the Welsh Government in 2014 to drive up performance after criticism that the scrapping of league tables had led to school standards falling.
Schools rated green are already doing well and are deemed to be in need of the least support while schools in the red category are those needing most support. Each colour triggers a different support package.
A range of information is looked at to give a picture of how schools are doing including assessment and exam results, attendance and leadership and assessment by school improvement consortia.
In a written statement, Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: “I remain concerned about those schools, particularly the proportion in the secondary sector, which continue to require the highest levels of support.”
She revealed she will be considering the future of the controversial system, which has been criticised as unhelpful by teaching unions since its launch in 2014.
She said a new “multiagency” approach to help schools in the lower bands is being trialled with a small number of secondary schools and revealed: “In assessing the effectiveness of these new arrangements, we will also consider the future of categorisation.”
Categorisation, now in its sixth year, has met with a mixed response but the Welsh Government insists it is not a league table of the best schools.
This year there are 24 secondary schools in the red band needing most support, amounting to 11.7% of secondaries. But more secondaries have risen to the highest “highly effective” green. A total of 72 are now ranked the highest green, eight more than in the 2018-19 and an improvement of four percentage points on last year. A total 39 secondaries are amber, compared with 41 last year.
Nearly half of all primaries are now rated in the highest green category. A total of 609, or 49%, of primary schools are in this band. That’s a six percentage point improvement compared to last year when there were 543 green primaries.
Only 20 primary schools are in most need of up to 25 days support in the lowest red category. This is just 1.6 per cent of primary schools and a tiny 0.4 percentage point decrease compared to last year when there were 25 red primaries.
There are 505 primaries in the yellow band, compared with 570 last year and 113 are rated amber, down from 121 last year. Nearly half of all primaries are now rated in the highest green category.
The Central South Consortium, which works to help schools in Cardiff, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, the Vale of Glamorgan and Merthyr, said it would provide tailored support to schools, following the latest colour bands.
It said in a statement: “It is important that all educational professionals work together to ensure schools and settings receive the best possible support to enable the realisation of the new curriculum and the reform agenda.
“With our partners we will be providing and brokering tailored support for all schools and settings and working to support agreed identified areas for improvement and sharing best practice within and beyond the region.”
The head of the Association of School and College Leaders’ Cymru dismissed colour categorisation as “simplistic and blunt”.
Eithne Hughes said:
“We are deeply disappointed that Welsh Government continues to categorise schools in Wales by colour coding. This simplistic, blunt and high stakes measure of a school’s performance, is at odds with the education reform journey. This is an old and punitive system which has the effect of encouraging competition rather than developing a self-improving school system through collaboration. We continue to press for a more mature accountability system which celebrates inclusivity and is based on innovation and development.”
Teaching unions and school leaders’ representatives say colour coding does little to improve standards. Critics say schools are over loaded with “myriad” performance and accountability measures from today’s traffic light categorisation to Estyn inspections, local improvement consortia and, school tests and external exams.
Rebecca Williams, deputy general secretary of teaching union UCAC said: “Although the national school categorisation system serves a purpose in identifying levels of support to be provided to schools, it is unfortunate that its simplistic colour-coding gives a false impression of its purpose, and can be misleading in terms of the messages it gives about individual schools.”
Green schools require just four days of support. It means they are already highly effective, know how to improve and are capable of helping others improve.
Nottage County Primary West Park Primary Newton Primary Porthcawl Primary Abercerdin Primary Vale of Glamorgan
Albert Primary School Barry Island Primary Cogan Primary School Colcot Primary School High Street Primary Llanfair Primary School Palmerston Primary Sully Primary School Victoria Primary School St Athan Primary School Evenlode Primary
Ysgol Gymraeg Sant Baruc
Ysgol Gymraeg Sant Curig
Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun Y Nant
Cadoxton Primary Romilly Primary School Dinas Powys Primary Ysgol Y Ddraig
Gwenfo CIW Primary St Brides CIW Primary
Yellow schools are already doing well and know the areas in which they need to improve. They receive 10 days of support a year
Vale of Glamorgan Fairfield Primary School Gladstone Primary School
Holton Primary School Jenner Park Primary Llancarfan Primary Llangan Primary School Rhws County Primary Llandough County Primary
Y Bont Faen Primary Ysgol Pen-Y-Garth
Ysgol Iolo Morganwg Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant
St Nicholas CIW Primary Peterston-Super-Ely Primary
These are the schools ranked in the Welsh Government’s third tier, amber, meaning they are in need of improvement. They receive 15 days of support a year.
Vale of Glamorgan
St Illtyd Primary School Oak Field Primary And Nursery School
SECONDARIES Bridgend
Red schools are those in need of greatest support. They will get an immediate, tailored package of intervention. They receive 25 days of support a year.
Vale of Glamorgan None
SECONDARIES
Pendoylan CIW Primary St Andrew’s CIW Primary Llansannor CIW Primary St David’s CIW St Joseph’s RC Primary Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg
SECONDARIES Bridgend
Bryntirion Comprehensive
Porthcawl Comprehensive School
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd
Archbishop Mcgrath Catholic School
Vale of Glamorgan
Cowbridge Comprehensive School Stanwell School
Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg
SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Heronsbridge Special School
Ysgol Bryn Castell
Wick And Marcross CIW Primary
All Saints CW Primary School
St Helen’s Catholic Primary School
SECONDARIES
Bridgend
Cynffig Comprehensive Brynteg School
Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen
Vale of Glamorgan Llantwit Major School Whitmore High School Pencoedtre High School St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School
Maesteg Comprehensive School
Pencoed Comprehensive
Vale of Glamorgan
St Cyres Comprehensive School
Bridgend
None
Vale of Glamorgan
None