Bedford has been below the national average in key educational measures for “some time”

Bedford borough has been below the national average in key educational measures for “some time”, a meeting heard.

On Monday (January 9), the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee was presented with a report on the education attainment gap and the steps that are being taken to improve results.

Chris Morris, acting chief officer for SEND, education and schools infrastructure, said: “The consistent theme across the report is that our results are below the national average in every key stage.

“It’s not a new thing in Bedford borough, we’ve been below national average in these key attainment measures for some time.

“There are signs of progress, for example the gap between Bedford borough and the national average is narrowing at both Key Stage 2 and at GCSEs,” he said.

Mr Morris said there had been some “open and honest” conversations with all school leaders and it was made clear that the results were “not good enough”.

“This is not just a school issue, this is an education issue, and that’s a key distinction,” he said.

“We are going to launch an education improvement strategy rather than a school improvement strategy.

“[It will be] looking at rewriting, developing and co-producing a new education improvement strategy which would be long term with long term clear visions and goals for us working together.

“And how all agencies and partners can work together to achieve the priorities set out in that strategy,” he said.

Councillor Jane Walker (Conservative, Clapham) said: “I feel quite depressed by this, some of us have been on this committee for a long, long time and just nothing seems to get better.

“It just feels like we’re not coming forward with new ideas, I just wonder if we made these results widely known then maybe parents would start to ask more questions from the schools.

“It’s just not getting better and it’s really really worrying,” she said.

Mr Morris said: “I appreciate that this has been going on for some time and yes, there have been previous conversations.

“There are signs of progress and our gap is narrowing.. and we will see continued improvement in our school results.

“What I’m interested in is actually having a longer term plan, rather than the danger of being an echo chamber, which I think you’re actually referring to in terms of people have said the same thing, or hearing those things, or you’re hearing those conversations, but nothing feels like it changes it.

“I could have come in [to this role] and gone right, OK, we’re going to do this.

“I want to say let’s co-produce it with our schools because ultimately they don’t need to own this, we can have an amazing education strategy that our schools don’t buy into.

“If they’re not buying into it, then that’s not going to make a change.

“This is not a school improvement strategy short-term fix.

“We need to be in this for a long term because actually whatever we’ve been doing for the last five, six, seven years, whatever it may be, it hasn’t worked to put it bluntly.

“So we need to ask ourselves why, and what we are doing to break that cycle whilst also thinking about the short term,” he said.