Agenda Item 4

Education & Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee - 12th March, 2014 RHONDDA CYNON TAF COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL MUNICIPAL YEAR 2013-2014 EDUCATION & LIFELONG Agenda Item No. 4 LEARNING SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 12th MARCH 2014 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PERFORMANCE REPORT OF: IN RCT FOR THE FIRST TERM OF THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-2014 LIFELONG LEARNING Author: Zoe Lancelott Tel: 01443 744386 1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT The purpose of this report is to provide Members with an analysis of school attendance performance for the first term of 2013/14, to the end of December 2013. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that Members: 2.1 Note the information contained within this report. 2.2 Scrutinise and comment on the information provided. 2.3 Consider whether they wish to scrutinise in greater depth any matters contained in the report. 3. PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 3.1 This report monitors progress of the schools attendance in the first term to the end of December 2013. An analysis of the data, primary school by primary school is set out in Appendix A, which also includes the attendance of the 4 special schools. The table below shows the overall attendance for the first term of 2013/14 compared to the same period in 2012/13. 2012/13 2013/14 % Improvement Autumn ½ Term 1 94.16 % 94.82 % 0.66% Autumn ½ Term 2 92.63% 94.40% 1.77% Total Autumn Term 93.43% 94.62% 1.19% 3.2 Currently the overall primary school attendance is 94.62% compared to 93.43% for the previous year, an increase of almost 1.2%. At present primary school performance stands at 0.42% above our ambitious Local Authority target. 3.3 Of 110 primary schools, 83 schools have met or bettered their targets set to improve their attendance rates, with 44 schools achieving greater or equal to 95% and 13 schools exceeding 96% attendance. This performance compares very favourably to 15 Education & Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee - 12th March, 2014 the performance for the same term last year, where only 6 schools achieved greater or equal to 95% and 2 schools exceeded 96% attendance. 3.4 Appendix B shows each primary school’s performance against RCT schools in similar free school meal groups. It provides Members with a more equitable analysis of the best performers when compared to similar schools. 3.5 During the period 2nd September 2013 to 7th February 2013, the Council’s Attendance and Wellbeing Service has: • Accepted 486 referrals; • Closed 299 cases (successful outcomes achieved – attendance improved); • Prosecuted 28 parents for non-attendance of their children; • Undertaken 58 Daily Absence Response Team (DART) initiatives to support the first day response procedures in 31 primary schools; • Undertaken 39 Meet and Greet initiatives to support 17 primary schools to tackle lateness; • Provided 111 ‘Super Attender Challenge’ Assemblies in primary schools and 2 in special schools; • There were 9 community events where othe Super Attender mascot appeared • Undertaken 30 Data Response Visits in primary schools and 5 in secondary schools to provide challenge and support to schools where their performance data identifies they are not on target. 3.6 The Council’s Attendance and Wellbeing Service will continue to review the attendance data with school headteachers to ensure attendance remains a priority for all schools and is given a very high profile with pupils and parents. 3.7 Whilst the 2012/13 attendance data has already been presented to Members, Appendix D sets out each primary school attendance performance for 2012/13 compared to the Welsh Government free school meal benchmarking tables. It shows Members the respective quartile each school currently resides and compares performance over the past three years. This information is used by Estyn in judging the performance of schools, in particular in respect of a number of questions on the well-being of pupils. 4. SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 4.1 The table below shows the attendance performance of secondary schools for the first term of the 2013/14 academic year compared to the same period in 2012/13. % Attend % Attend Total Aut % Attend % Attend Total Aut % Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Term Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Term Improvement School Name Term 1 Term 1 2012/13 Term 1 Term 1 2013/14 2012/13 – 2012/13 2012/13 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 Aberdare Girls’ 92.42 % 90.32 % 91.41% 93.47 % 91.96 % 92.87% 1.46% Comprehensive Aberdare High School 93.44 % 91.92 % 92.72% 94.14 % 93.73 % 93.95% 1.23% Blaengwawr 91.18 % 88.63 % 89.97% 91.99 % 90.91 % 91.52% 1.55% Comprehensive School Bryncelynnog 94.53 % 89.23 % 92.01% 94.73 % 92.05 % 93.45% 1.44% Comprehensive School Cardinal Newman RC 95.59 % 93.79 % 94.75% 95.33 % 94.24 % 94.81% 0.06% Comprehensive 16 Education & Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee - 12th March, 2014 % Attend % Attend Total Aut % Attend % Attend Total Aut % Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Term Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Term Improvement School Name Term 1 Term 1 2012/13 Term 1 Term 1 2013/14 2012/13 – 2012/13 2012/13 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 Ferndale Community 90.19 % 89.17 % 89.71% 92.72 % 90.38 % 91.57% 1.86% School Hawthorn High School 93.01 % 91.58 % 92.34% 93.78 % 91.48 % 92.79% 0.45% Mountain Ash 90.97 % 88.97 % 90.01% 92.54 % 91.17 % 91.96% 1.95% Comprehensive School Pontypridd High School 93.24 % 89.47 % 91.45% 93.69 % 92.02 % 92.93% 1.48% Porth County 92.30 % 88.12 % 90.31% 92.73 % 91.91 % 92.34% 2.03% Community School St John Baptist C in W 94.20 % 90.72 % 92.53% 94.79 % 92.83 % 93.86% 1.33% High School Tonypandy Community 92.44 % 86.64 % 89.68% 94.54 % 92.01 % 93.29% 3.61% College Tonyrefail School 92.17 % 90.35 % 91.30% 93.17 % 90.57 % 91.93% 0.63% Treorchy 94.53 % 92.48 % 93.57% 95.01 % 93.13 % 94.04% 0.47% Comprehensive School Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg 94.87 % 93.02 % 94.00% 95.17 % 93.30 % 94.28% 0.28% Ysgol Llanhari 94.81 % 91.72 % 93.36% 94.88 % 93.21 % 94.12% 0.76% Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun 94.50 % 92.11 % 93.39% 93.73 % 92.55 % 93.21% -0.18% Y Pant Comprehensive 94.16 % 92.47 % 93.36% 95.16 % 93.38 % 94.30% 0.94% School Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymer 94.36 % 90.51 % 92.52% 94.46 % 92.45 % 93.50% 0.98% Rhondda RCT 93.41% 90.63% 92.09% 94.07% 92.30% 93.24% 1.15% 4.2 The table shows that 18 of the 19 secondary schools have improved pupils’ attendance in the first term of 2013/14, compared to the same period in 2012/13 and the County Borough overall rate has increased by 1.15%. Secondary school attendance now stands at 93.24%, which stands at 0.24% above our ambitious Local Authority target. This is an excellent performance by the Council’s secondary schools. 4.3 It is pleasing to see that 13 schools have met or bettered their targets set to improve their attendance rates this term and 3 of the 6 schools that missed their target have done so by 0.1% or less. Two schools, Mountain Ash and Tonypandy, have maintained attendance rates greater or equal to 1% above their target this term. 4.4 Appendix C sets out the performance of the 19 secondary schools against the targets the schools’ set in agreement with the Council. These targets have been set in line with their free school meal group bandings therefore this table provides Members with a more equitable analysis of the best performers when compared to similar schools. 4.5 Whilst the 2012/13 attendance data has already been presented to Members, Appendix E sets out each secondary school attendance performance for 2012/13 compared to the Welsh Government free school meal benchmarking tables. It shows Members the respective quartile each school currently resides and compares performance over the past three years. This information is used by Estyn in judging the performance of schools, in particular in respect of a number of questions on the well-being of pupils. 17 Education & Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee - 12th March, 2014 5. PUPIL REFERRAL UNIT (PRU) ATTENDANCE 5.1 The table below shows the attendance performance of pupil referral units for the first term of the 2013/14 academic year compared to the same period in 2012/13. (N.B. This data is not collected by the Welsh Government and there is no statutory requirement for PRUs to submit annual attendance data). % Attend % Attend Total % Attend % Attend Total % Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Autumn Aut 1/2 Aut 1/2 Autumn Improvement Pupil Referral Unit Term 1 Term 2 Term Term 1 Term 2 Term 2012/13 – 2012/13 2012/13 2012/13 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 New Start Skills Centre 65.75% 70.10% 67.86% 68.98% 63.11% 65.98% -1.88% Tai Education Centre 92.06% 93.24% 92.60% 94.17% 90.43% 92.36% -0.24% Ty Gwyn Education Centre 74.77% 75.08% 74.91% 82.32% 78.86% 80.73% 5.82% RCT 75.20% 77.27% 76.18% 78.89% 73.50% 76.24% 0.06% 5.2 The table shows that the PRU’s have improved pupils’ attendance by 0.06% in the first term of 2013/14 compared to the same period in 2012/13, with Ty Gwyn having made an improvement of 5.82%.

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