ONE of the first issues discussed by the new Labour cabinet was the parlous state of educational standards in Thurrock primary schools.
John Kent made clear reference to the Key Stage 2 results that saw Thurrock 149th out of 151st in the country.
He said: “They are simply not good enough.”
The Labour Cabinet agreed that school after school lacked a permanent head, which was one of the key barriers to obtaining a good or outstanding Ofsted report.
No primary school is outstanding in Thurrock and only two schools have received a “Good” report in the last eighteen months.
A consultation into plans to merge the junior, infant and nursery schools at Tilbury Manor, Dickens Avenue, Tilbury, is to be held.
Cllr Hale said: “We will be talking with local people and other interested parties over the next few months about creating a single, Tilbury Manor Primary School and a report will come back to Cabinet in September.”
She added: “The council and the governors of the schools share a passionate commitment to children and their education and we want to make the best decisions for young people and their families in the community.
“We have agreed to open the question of how we secure the best education for children in Tilbury to wider consultation and the outcome of that consultation will inform the next stage of decision-making.
“We are committed to working in partnership, exploring differences and resolving them in the interests of children and their families “
What is the main underlying cause of the bad results within Thurrock, I ccan see how not having a permanent head teacher accounts for the results seen, maybe it is the fact that Thurrock has so many children with EAL that teachers are finding it more difficult to cope with teaching those that do not understand the language.
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Investment in our schools has been very limited, be that through local or national government, teachers have been battling for years to be able to teach but the last goverment kep changing the curriculum which teachers then had to change lesson plans etc which disrupts the education of the children.
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League tables for schools should be scrapped along with the SAT’s these are not a true indication of the schools educational value, also Parents must take some of the balme for poor results, education does not just start and and at the school gates.