AM congratulates schools on categorisation announcement (Published 31/01/2019)

Aberavon AM, David Rees, has welcomed publication of the latest information on the performance of schools in Neath Port Talbot, and in particular Aberavon.

Published today, the National Categorisation System has been introduced in 2014 to help identify schools in need of support to improve. Schools are placed into one of four colour-coded support categories to demonstrate the level of support they need.

Each school’s category is determined by a range of factors including its performance data and capacity to improve in areas such as leadership and teaching and learning. Local authorities and their regional consortia play a central role in the process which triggers a bespoke package of challenge and support in each school.

The system evaluates and assesses schools and places them in a support category using the following process:

• Step One: a broad range of performance information is provided by the Welsh Government to inform schools’ self-evaluation of their capacity to improve in relation to teaching and learning; and inform the starting point of discussions with their regional consortium challenge advisor about their performance and areas for improvement;

• Step Two: assessment of the schools’ self-evaluation by challenge advisers in the regional consortia;

• Step Three: after the outcome indicators and self-evaluation information have been analysed, a draft support category is agreed in discussion with the school. This category is moderated by the local authority and regional education consortium, verified nationally, and leads to a colour-coded support category for the school which will trigger a tailored programme of support, challenge and intervention.

David Rees AM said: “We must congratulate all staff, headteachers and governors for the fantastic work we have seen across schools in Aberavon in the past 12 month. Every Primary and Secondary school within Aberavon is now categorised as Green or Yellow. Special praise must go to the Headteacher, staff and governors of Eastern Primary school who have gone from a Red school just 12 months ago to a Yellow school in today’s bandings.”

“This system is not about grading, labelling or creating crude league tables but about providing support and encouraging improvement in our schools. It is about putting schools into a position that helps them to identify areas they can strengthen and what they need to do achieve further improvements, and this is evident in the number of schools in Aberavon who have improved their bandings in the past 12 months”

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who works in schools across Neath Port Talbot. The hard work they do to educate the next generation is invaluable”

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See categorisation information here https://gov.wales/newsroom/educationandskills/2017/latest-categorisation-figures-show-school-improvement/?lang=en

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