OFSTED has warned about the North-South divide in secondary education, but Cumbria's secondary schools are improving.

The education watchdog warned of the state of secondary schools in the North and Midlands when compared with those in the South of England. However Ofsted figures show an improving picture for Cumbria secondary schools.

Ofsted's latest annual report has shown that 77 per cent of students are attending a good or outstanding secondary school in Cumbria. This is up eight percentage points on the 2014 figure. 

Meanwhile 88 per cent of primary pupils are attending a good or outstanding primary school in the county. This was the same figure as last year.

John Macilwraith, Cumbria County Council's director for children’s services,  told councillors during a meeting last week that the "overall picture was pleasing".

A report from Mr Macilwraith states that there has been improvement in the inspection results for schools and early years settings such as nurseries. 

The number of struggling or failing schools has gone down from 14 to eight in 2014-15. There has also been an increase in the number of schools judged to be good over the last year. Standards in secondary schools are also getting better but there is a continued need for further progress.

The local authority has said it is pleasing to see secondary schools in Cumbria outperforming the average for the North of 68 per cent of students attending a good or outstanding schools.  

In February 2014 had Ofsted wrote to Cumbria County Council, the local education authority, to raise "serious concerns" about the quality of secondary education in the Cumbria. The local authority also wrote to the Department for Education for clarity around the improvement of academies, which are independent of the council.   

The council then injected £500,000 into funding more school-to-school support schemes. 

Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders is a Cumbria-wide community of schools. The structure supports, and where necessary drives, improvement work. The system gives schools assistance through a proactive approach in areas where support is needed, but also respond to Ofsted category of concern requirements.

Mr Macilwraith said there ‘significant evidence’ of effective support for schools from the local authority, as well as bespoke support between schools by sharing of resources and expertise.

The council said all children deserve the best possible education, and pointed out while there is an improving picture in Cumbria, it recognises there is "still much work to do to get all schools up to the right standard, particularly in secondary education" and it will continue to work in partnership with CASL on the improvement journey.


Clare Feeney-Johnson Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, the cabinet member for schools and learning at the council, said: “The overall picture is really encouraging. 

“CASL is in its embryonic stage but it is starting to move forward, most importantly it is bringing leaders, skills and expertise together across Cumbria. Not everyone is engaged with that yet and there is a lot of work to be done with governing bodies but that is happening.”

Stephen Wilkinson, chairman of the Local Alliance of System Leaders for South Cumbria, a local arm of CASL, said: "I am delighted by Cumbria's improved performance at secondary level recognised by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Michael Wilshaw. It is also satisfying that primary school performance has maintained its already excellent standard.
Stephen Wilkinson

"The news will give increased momentum to the system leadership approach that Cumbria is pioneering though the Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders again recently praised and endorsed by Clare Feeney-Johnson, portfolio holder schools and learning.

"Mr Wilshaw suggestion of replicating the very successful London Challenge is to be welcomed, but to be successful will require similar funding to the original initiative, we wait the government's commitment to this."

Council officials were this week set to meet CASL leaders to discuss the direct and wider impact of the government’s future spending announcements on local education services and schools. 


Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Michael Wilshaw It is feared that government proposals to axe the education services grant, saving £600m nationally, could hit efforts to improve standards in Cumbria’s schools.

Mrs Feeney-Johnson told senior councillors: “It (CASL) needs that funding to enable it to grow and be at a place where we want it to be."

“The schools are looking at how they can fund it into the future but we need to also look at what our statutory duties will be when we have the detail (of the Comprehensive Spending Review).”

RELATED ARTICLE:   Watchdog blasted for being ‘half-wrong’ over regional disparities