Our youngsters are getting a good deal at school.
That’s the result of a survey of school inspections by Ofsted.
It shows that Kirklees is one of the top performing areas in Yorkshire for the number of children and young people who attend a good or outstanding school.
In total, 82.4 per cent of Kirklees pupils are in good or outstanding schools – well above the regional average of 76.9 per cent.
The figure means Kirklees is fourth out of 15 local authorities across Yorkshire and Humber and is also above the national average of 82 per cent.
Over 50,000 children and young people in the district attend schools which are rated as good or outstanding by the education watchdog Ofsted.
Clr Shabir Pandor, Cabinet member for Schools and Learning, said: “We are very proud of the excellent work taking place at both primary and secondary level.
“This is supporting our young people to fulfil their potential and to ultimately move out of education with the right skills to flourish in their lives.
“Our schools hold a unique position in engaging with thousands of families, across different and diverse communities, on a daily basis.
“The council enjoys very close and fruitful relationships with the Kirklees family of schools. We are committed to developing those relationships and improving outcomes even further at a time when the education landscape is changing fast.
“In the last few years Ofsted have changed their inspection framework several times, making it increasingly difficult for a school to be judged as good or outstanding.
“Yet the number of Kirklees pupils in good or outstanding schools has risen significantly from 72 per cent in 2012. There is always more work to do, but this reflects the tremendous hard work of everyone involved.”
At secondary level, GCSE results for 2015 showed that Kirklees outcomes were above both the national and regional average.
The government has now released data for primary schools. In this year’s Key Stage 2 tests (also known as SATs), the number of Kirklees pupils reaching the key benchmark for reading, writing and maths was the same as last year at 78 per cent. This was slightly below the national average of 80 per cent but was in line with regional figures.
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Clr Pandor added: “We are ambitious for all young people and one of our priorities is to ensure that primary schools keep pace with the national rate of progress.
“Systems are in place to promote these outcomes for younger learners and we will continue to focus on this challenge.
“It’s central to our work that pupils of all ages have a rounded educational experience and become resilient people, helping them to be ready for the next stage in their lives.
“I would like to thank Kirklees families, staff within schools and staff at the council for their dedication in supporting children and young people.”
