GOVERNMENT statistics published this week, mark Passmores Academy as an “underperforming school”.

In response to this, Principal, Vic Goddard has written an open letter to our readers.

“I am sure some of you will have seen the list of school performance figures released yesterday by the government using a figure called Progress 8 (P8); the ‘floor target’ figure that is mentioned is a figure arbitrarily decided on by the government and it has no other meaning apart from just being a number they’ve decided to use to judge the success of a wide range of school intakes with one identical measure.

The government would like all schools to study from a set list of certain “approved” subjects, normally called the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The subjects and examinations approved count in the Progress 8 figure but a range of others exist that do not; in science for instance.

At Passmores we have always stated that we will continue to offer qualifications that best enable our young people to move on successfully when they leave us at 16, irrespective of whether they count in government figures or not. We are very successful in doing that.

In actual fact the other figures released alongside the Progress 8 data were for those ‘staying in education or entering employment’ when they leave their Year 11 provision. The national average for this has been 94% for a number of years but at Passmores this figure is 96% this year and was 98% last year. The matching of meaningful option choices to students hopes and dreams is a decision that we have made to best support our young people. It is one that works for them and (sadly) against our school in league tables such as this; these challenging subjects, completed successfully and perfect for the students in question, having been deemed as less worthy by policy-makers, with their own ideas of what a curriculum should resemble.

Our standpoint means that a larger proportion of our young people than those at other schools (when taken as a collective), go on successfully post-16 when they leave us. That is and will remain our focus. Our curriculum fits our students.

In the light of coverage from some sections of the press, we could alter our curriculum and tick many more government boxes, therefore boosting our league table position. If we did this, we fear that we might also limit the proportion of our students progressing into lives that they would have chosen. Instead, we will continue to put the needs and happiness of our students above the need for the school to raise the school Progress 8 score. A team of five Ofsted inspectors visited us just a few school weeks ago and spent two days looking ay everything we do. Their conclusion?

“The rich and imaginative curriculum puts pupils’ needs and aspirations first. These needs are enhanced by the extensive extra-curricular programme.”

This is the same curriculum that doesn’t purely focus on just what the government thinks is important. We were pleased that they could see that one size clearly doesn’t fit all.

We are a school that prides itself on putting the needs of our students first and we will continue to do so. We do not pick the students that we want to come to Passmores and we welcome everyone; we will remain inclusive and seek to match their educational journeys to the lives that they would like to live. We offer no apology for that.

Vic Goddard
Co-Principal
Passmores Academy
Lead school of Passmores Cooperative Learning Community