Ofsted rates 88 per cent of schools good or better in Wolverhampton

During this time, inspections or monitoring visits were carried out in 20 schools and academies in the city. As of last November, out of 109 schools currently with an Ofsted rating, only two were found to be inadequate.

The figures revealed that 18 schools (17 per cent) were judged to be outstanding and 78 (72 per cent) good, whilst 11 (ten per cent) were rated as requiring improvement.

Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet Member for education, skills and work, said: “This is brilliant news for our city, and particularly for our children and young people. It has been achieved thanks to the hard work and dedication of our education leaders, school staff, pupils and parents, through excellent collaboration between schools and the council, through the use of high performing schools to help those needing development, and thanks to a strong commitment from the council to school improvement through our education excellence strategy.

“We also have ambitious political leadership which wants the very best for our children and young people, both in education and in all other aspects of their formative years. We are determined to continue on this journey of improvement and, by supporting schools to improve and challenging where performance is below where it ought to be, we expect more schools to become good or outstanding in due course.

“What is clear is that there has never been a better time to be a pupil in Wolverhampton, and for that we should thank everyone working in our education system today,” he added.

In a report to the council’s strong families, children and young people scrutiny panel, head of education excellence Phil Leivers said: “It’s important to    recognise and celebrate the positive outcomes of our children and young people in the summer assessments. This is essential if young people are to engage in further and higher education and go on to employment and training.

“These figures put Wolverhampton schools above the West Midlands average of 85 per cent and in line with national statistics. This is an excellent position for schools within the authority and shows that most of our pupils are receiving a good education daily.

“All aspects of education services contribute to improving outcomes. For example, supporting attendance, resourcing education, health and care plans, and curriculum development.

“The outcomes for 2022 demonstrate another successful year for all schools in the city. More children are attending good and outstanding schools than ever before and performance at each key stage has seen successes. This report sets out these achievements,” he added.

“These outcomes are also the first externally assessed since 2019 and need to be seen in the context of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education. The education excellence service worked across settings, schools and academies to deliver its strategy through a mix of monitoring, challenge and support.”

The two schools that were judged inadequate had now closed and joined a multi-academy trust. They have not yet been inspected since their conversion, said Mr Leivers.

Members of the council’s strong families, children and young people scrutiny panel will review the statistics next Wednesday.

Schools in Wolverhampton currently rated outstanding by Ofsted:

Ashmore Park Nursery School

Bilston Nursery School

Eastfield Nursery School

East Park Academy (primary)

Elston Hall Primary School

Heath Park Secondary School

Hill Avenue Academy (primary)

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston

Low Hill Nursery School

Manor Primary School, Bilston

Moseley Park Secondary School

New Invention Junior School

Spring Vale Primary School

St Bartholomew’s CoE Primary School

St Michael’s CoE Primary School, Tettenhall

Whitgreave Primary School

Woden Primary School

(Some schools have since transferred to academies).