Suffolk: Plans To Improve School Exam Passes
9 July 2012, 15:06 | Updated: 10 July 2012, 11:43
Suffolk County Council has announced it's looking at ways to improve exam pass rates in some schools.
An independent commission looking at educational attainment, aspiration and employability in Suffolk is to be lead by Matthew Taylor - CEO at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and former prime ministerial advisor.
It comes as the latest GCSE attainment figures for the county show that whilst there have been improvements year on year, the county is still four percentage points below the national average when it comes to young people getting five or more good GCSEs.
The commission was launched at Suffolk County Council’s ‘Raising the Bar’ conference in Ipswich - where 200 delegates from the world of education, business and local government gathered to back the programme.
The Raising the Bar programme will also look at future employment opportunities in the Suffolk economy, especially in the green energy production industry, and what can be done to ensure young people are prepared for the prospects on offer in the county.
Matthew Taylor said:
“I’m very excited to be part of this initiative to improve educational attainment in Suffolk.
“It’s clear to me that education leaders in Suffolk don’t just want young people’s attainment to meet the national average. They want it to be above the average but the question is, how?
“We’re going to look at other areas of the UK and the world, like London which made a similar improvement in 10 years, to see what lessons can be learned and adapted for Suffolk.
“From what I’ve already seen, the passion and enthusiasm here is sure to deliver real quality outcomes.”
Matthew Taylor Speaks to Heart
Educational attainment in Suffolk
55% of young people in Suffolk achieve five or more good GCSEs (A* - C) including English and maths. Nationally, 59% achieve the same level. Performance at a local and national level has improved year on year however the rate of improvement nationally is greater.