“…in 2014, only 36.5 per cent of disadvantaged pupils achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths GCSEs, compared with 64.0 per cent of other pupils.”1
Bright Futures Educational Trust2 controls South Shore Academy, Blackpool. Achieving 5 Grade ‘A*-Cs’ is remote for every student in that school and is Mount Everest for disadvantaged students. Having a trust called ‘Bright Futures’, that fails disadvantaged students on every key metric is cruel. Radical innovation should begin with removing Bright Futures from any involvement in the school.
The Key Metrics for South Shore Academy
As the header note shows, the key indicator for success at GCSE is 5 ‘A*-Cs’. It notes the chasm, in achievement, between disadvantaged and other students. This figure is the de facto key minimum indicator, 36.5% GCSE Grade 5 ‘A*-Cs. At South Shore this is virtually impossible.
The government reduced the key indicator stated above in the header to just Grade 5 for English and Maths for their published analysis of performance. The reality is disadvantaged students at South Shore have a *success* rate of 8%,3 – a 92% failure rate. Poor teachers are a principal factor, “…[where] subject knowledge and expertise vary greatly. In places, they are extremely weak...”4
Unsurprisingly students vote with their feet. “Pupils’ attendance is extremely poor and getting worse. Absence rates have increased markedly this year [2023]”.5
Disillusion permeates the school creating poor behaviour. “…pupils direct inappropriate and abusive language at each other and staff. They subject other pupils to derogatory and discriminatory insults. Often, these actions are sustained in the form of persistent bullying. Sometimes, pupils intimidate others with physical aggression.6 School leaders retaliate with, “…33.6 exclusions per 100 pupils.”7
Try Anything: Educational Innovations
(1) Abandon school uniform. English schools ruthlessly enforce the wearing of school uniform as though it’s essential to learning. Bright Futures demand parents spend about £80-100 on uniforms.8 Parents should get a refund as it’s a failed strategy.
(2) Learn lessons from Covid-19. School based education was wrecked by the pandemic but there were silver linings. The Digital Divide hurtled to the front of educators’ thoughts when Zoom lessons became mandatory. Schools learned poor parents couldn’t afford Wi-Fi or computers and were excluded from Zoom lessons by poverty.9 Bright Futures have considerable Pupil Premium (PP) funds. They actually allocate PP funds to, “Uniform and equipment supply …”10 (my emphasis). They’ve allocated £46,025 (2021-2) for iPads and Laptops for use in lessons, (there’s no budget for 2022-3). 511 students at South Shore need internet access. Those who don’t have it should have it supplied from PP funds.
(3) Payment-by-results. The challenge is, ‘How to get students to attend South Shore Academy consistently.’ A £7,000 per term prize fund for students achieving 97.5% attendance could motivate. Youngsters understand and react to money more enthusiastically than they do to platitudes. £21,000 p.a. is about 1% of PP funding. The greater number of students who achieve 97.5% will reduce the payout per student. In theory one student could take the whole pot but that’s unlikely.
(4) Repression. (Normally referred to as ‘zero tolerance’) South Shore needs radical thinking. Blaise High School, Bristol embraces in-your-face schooling.
“The students must also attend something called ‘roll call’ several times a day – with years 7 to 10 having roll call three times a day, and Year 11s being required to attend roll call five times a day. This involves standing silently in line while every student’s equipment and uniform is inspected. The students must offer up their pencil cases and books, and must have a specific see-through long pencil case. Failing to meet the requirements of roll call will be a detention.”11
This is reminiscent of mid-19th century thinking. Will it be effective for a 21st century school in England? The jury is out.
Notes
1 Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils (publishing.service.gov.uk) p3
2 Bright Futures Educational Trust – Multi-Academy Trust (bright-futures.co.uk)
3 Results by pupil characteristics – South Shore Academy – Compare school and college performance data in England – GOV.UK (compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk)
4 South-Shore-Academy-final-PDF-1.pdf (bright-futures.co.uk) p3
5 loc.cit.
6 loc.cit.
7 Blackpool school exclusion rates: these are the schools where pupils are excluded most often last year (blackpoolgazette.co.uk)
8 South Shore Academy (1stclasskids.co.uk)
9 Coronavirus has intensified the UK’s digital divide (cam.ac.uk)
10 SSA-Pupil-Premium-Strategy-2020-2021-SC-NEW.pdf (bright-futures.co.uk) £20,000 is allocated for 511 students out of £855,000 funding. The £46K is about 2% of total PP funds
11 Pupils forced to smile and march silently at school criticised for being like a ‘military camp’ – Wales Online The school’s reward scheme is minimal in relation to their *behaviour* policies. Rewards include deferred gratification, “Providing an education that will enable students to be rewarded with excellent qualifications when they leave us.” Blaise High School – Behaviour
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