Wolverhampton schools celebrate Ofsted rating achievement as city smashes national average
It's official: schools in Wolverhampton are some of the best in the country - as Ofsted ratings in the city smash the national average for both primary and secondary school education.
As it stands, the national average for schools in the country getting an Ofsted rating of either Good or Outstanding is 90 per cent, but Wolverhampton's schools are currently at 92 per cent across the board.
That is an increase of well over 20 percentage points in less than a decade, and means the proportion of schools in Wolverhampton with one of the two top grades is higher than both the regional and national average.
Latest figures from Ofsted show that 94 per cent of Wolverhampton's primary schools are rated either Good or Outstanding, compared to 91 per cent in the West Midlands and nationally, while 85 per cent of secondary schools in the city hold one of the top two grades, the same as the West Midlands and above the national average of 84 per cent.
Overall, 92 per cent of schools in Wolverhampton are now rated either Good or Outstanding, compared to 89 per cent in the West Midlands and 90 per cent nationally.
It also means there are now 46,500 pupils – equivalent to 92 per cent of the local pupil population – attending Good or Outstanding schools in the city.
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "As a council, we are determined that our city's children and young people get the best possible start in life – and that means ensuring they have access to the best possible education, too.
"We have been committed to raising education standards over recent years. It is a central theme in our council plan and we're keen to work closely with local schools and academy trusts to ensure the best outcomes for all our children and young people.
"And we are in an excellent position, with more pupils in Wolverhampton now able to attend Good or Outstanding schools than ever before.
"This is thanks to the hard work of leaders, teachers, governors, pupils and parents, as well the sustained investment in education we have made over the last decade.
“This hard work will continue as we look to help even more of our schools secure Good or Outstanding judgments.”
Wolverhampton’s Education Excellence Strategy, written in partnership with school leaders, aims to ensure that all schools are reviewed annually, identifying areas of strength and areas where there can be further development.
In those instances where additional support is needed to help schools get better, the council’s Education Excellence team works closely with school leadership teams, governors and a host of services including Early Years, Citizenship Language and Learning, safeguarding and SEND and Inclusion, which has helped bring about a noticeable increase in standards over recent years.
According to the team, they hold regular meetings with school leaders to monitor progress and review the quality of teaching, meet with the directors and CEOs of multi academy trusts to share updates and to offer support and challenge, and help governing bodies to recruit and train new members and appoint school leaders.
They also host termly network meetings and workshops focused on school improvement for headteachers, middle leaders and subject leaders.
Councillor Coogan added: "This is all really important, because we know that, with more children or young people able to attend high performing schools, their educational outcomes are likely to improve still further, and I would like to congratulate everyone for their hard work which has got us to this enviable position."
