REVEALED: Coventry primary education praised while secondary schools slump in latest Ofsted report - The Coventry Observer

REVEALED: Coventry primary education praised while secondary schools slump in latest Ofsted report

Coventry Editorial 5th Dec, 2016   0

PRIMARY education in Coventry is on the up, with more than double the number of city children attending a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools than four years ago.

According to the annual National HMCI Report by watchdog Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services (Ofsted) released this week, Coventry has been praised for its improving standard of primary education.

Now, 93 per cent of city pupils attend top ranked schools – a marked increase from 2012 figures which revealed just 42 per cent of youngsters attended schools ranked by Ofsted as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

In the report, Her Majesty’s Cheif Inspector (HMCI) Sir Michael Wilshaw singled out Coventry as a local authority which he had criticised for poor performing primary schools in his first annual report in 2012.




He said: “Since then, as a result of the hard work and focus of Coventry’s political and school leaders, the proportion of pupils attending a good or outstanding primary school in the city has more than doubled.”

However, Coventry’s secondary schools did not fare as well in the report.


The city ranked among the worst performing local authority areas in 2015 for having low proportions of the most able pupils achieving A/A* in GCSE English and mathematics – with just 11 per cent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving the top grades.

The report also detailed that while 68 per cent of secondary school pupils now attended ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools, an 11 percent point increase from 2015, this was a 12 per cent decrease from 2012 when nearly 80 per cent of students were in top schools.

Commenting on the figures, Coventry City Council cabinet member for education and skills, Coun Kevin Maton said: “I’m delighted Coventry’s progress has been highlighted in this important report.

Coun Kevin Maton.

Coun Kevin Maton.

“An improvement like this does not happen by accident.

“It is the result of a collaborative approach between the Council and all of our schools with a shared goal of providing the very best education for our children and young people.

“While this report highlights the improvement in primary schools, there is similar work taking place with secondary schools which are continuing to improve.”

Reader Travel

Check out all of the latest reader travel offers to get your hands on some free gifts.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Coventry Observer.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Coventry Observer.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Coventry Observer newspaper.