Liberal Democrats call for action on poor secondary education standards in Oldham
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to council chiefs following a set of “very mixed” OFSTED results across Oldham’s secondary schools.
Councillor Sykes’s Liberal Democrat Opposition Group say that Oldham council must act “where schools that were inspected were deemed to be inadequate.”
Councillor Sykes said, “These results should tell the council that more needs to be done. The reality for far too many families in Oldham is that sending your children to a performing secondary school is just not an option. Too many pupils are being let down because standards are not high enough across the board. That needs to change as a matter of absolute urgency.”
The Liberal Democrats also warned of dangers facing school budgets after the government announced a new pay deal for teachers and school support staff but refused to release any new funding to pay for it.
Councillor Sykes said, “Teachers and support staff deserve a fair pay deal. But instead of funding a fair deal, the government has decided that schools need to find the money themselves.”
“After years of budget cuts and with energy bills soaring, many schools will be looking at reducing the hours of staff to balance the books. It will be children whose education has already been disrupted by the pandemic who lose out if this happens, it’s a scandal.”
In a letter to Oldham Council’s Director of Children’s and Young People’s services, councillor Sykes asked the council to provide its strategy for driving up standards across secondary schools in Oldham.
Councillor Sykes said, “It’s not just about ticking boxes at the next inspection. Schools and the council need a plan to tackle absences. School absences are up by more than 80% since 2019. When kids miss school, it leads to other problems further on in life. We want to see the council taking these figures seriously and working to drive improvements.”
16/08/23
Gerard Jones
Director of Children’s and Young People’s Services
Dear Mr Jones,
RE: Action on poor secondary education standards in Oldham
You will be aware of the very mixed results yielded by the recent OFSTED school inspections across Oldham.
Whilst several schools received encouraging feedback, it is concerning to note that several schools in our Brough, notably the secondary schools that were inspected, were deemed to be inadequate or in need of improvement.
Several factors currently contribute to the precarious and challenging period which our schools find themselves in. The impact of the pandemic on education is still ongoing. The cost-of-living crisis continues unabated and its impact on families and on children is abundantly clear. It is also clear that teachers and school support staff are also impacted.
I am writing to request an overview of Oldham Council’s current strategy to assist schools in their efforts to improve standards following this most recent inspection.
I would be grateful if you could address the following points in your response:
- What additional cost-of-living support is being offered to schools, pupils; and staff?
- What is being done to track the lasting impact of the covid pandemic on pupil attainment?
- What is being done to tackle persistent and severe absences across our borough, particularly in secondary schools?
- What is the impact of the government’s unfunded pay deal for schools, with a particular view to the tension between balancing school budgets and the need to maintain current levels of support staffing?
- What are the current levels of demand for free school meals and are Oldham’s schools able to meet demand?
I look forward to your reply.
More on school absences
Liberal Democrats warn of “lost generation” as school absences in Oldham rise by more than 80% since 2019 – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)