Secondary Education (Skills and Learning, State of the South West 2011)

4.6.1 There are 325 state-maintained secondary schools in the South West the majority (78%) of which are comprehensives. The region has a greater share of large secondary schools than the national average but has fewer faith schools (Table 4.6.1). Two secondary schools in the region were subject to special measures in August 2010 (Ofsted, Data on Schools Causing Concern, Summer 2010). The region’s secondary schools employ 20,800 full-time equivalent teachers, and are less likely to have teacher vacancies than the England average (Table 4.6.1). Class sizes are marginally smaller than the England average and have fallen consistently in recent years (Figure 4.5.1).

4.6.4 State-funded secondary schools in the region have a better attendance record than the national average (Table 4.6.1) and have fewer persistent truants. Permanent exclusions are relatively rare with 490 recorded by state-funded secondary schools during 2008/09. These were most commonly for persistent disruptive behaviour (38%), physical assault (22%) and verbal abuse or threatening behaviour (14%). During the same year, 14,480 pupils were temporarily excluded from school on at least one occasion with, on average, each excluded pupil missing 4.49 days from school (Department for Education, Attendance and Exclusions).

Table 4.6.1 Secondary Schools and Pupils: Selected Characteristics 2010

Characteristic	South West	England
Number of schools ¹	325	3,333
% with up to 1,000 pupils ¹	49	46
% with religious character ¹	13	18
Total number of teachers ²	20,800	210,300
Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post ²	0.3	0.5
Average class size (classes taught by one teacher) ¹	20.8	20.5
Unauthorised absence , % sessions missed ³	1.09	1.40
Number of pupils ¹	321,800	3,252,140
% ethnic minority origin ¹	6	19
% whose first language is not English ¹	3	12
% eligible for free school meals ¹	10	14
% persistent absentees ³	4.2	4.5
% permanently excluded from school ⁴	0.15	0.17
% temporarily excluded from school at least once ⁴	4.48	5.13
Sources: ¹ DCSF: Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2010; ² DCSF: School Workforce in England, January 2009 (Revised); ³ DfE: Pupil Absence in Schools in England, Autumn Term 2009 and Spring Term 2010; ⁴ DfE: Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England, 2008/09;

4.6.5 More than half (55%) of pupils in the South West achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and mathematics (PSA 10 Indicator 4) in 2009/10. This is higher than the England average of 53% and three percentage points higher than the previous year. It is also two percentage points clear of the 2011 national target. Three-fifths (59.5%) of girls gained qualifications at this level compared with over half (52%) of boys. Standards have improved over time for both boys and girls (Figure 4.6.1) and the gender gap has narrowed by one percentage point since 2005.

Figure 4.6.1 Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools achieving 5 or
more A* - C grades, including English and Mathermatics, by gender, South West,
2005 to 2010

[ Zoom ]

Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools achieving 5 or more A* - C grades, including English and Mathermatics, by gender, South West 2005-2010 (Fig 4.6.1). Source: DfE.

4.6.6 Disparities in educational attainment by pupil characteristics that are evident in younger age groups persist at GCSE. For example, few pupils (8%) with special educational needs leave school with five good GCSE passes (including maths and English), and pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals are significantly less likely than their peers to leave school similarly equipped (27% compared with 58%). At 77%, Chinese pupils are more than twice as likely as Black pupils (36%) to achieve the expected level at GCSE. Interestingly, achievement levels for most of the disadvantaged groups are lower in the South West than they are nationally.

4.6.7 Geographically, children living in the region’s most prosperous areas are more than twice as likely to leave school with five good GCSE results than those leaving in the most disadvantaged areas (72% compared with 30%).
Results also tend to be lower in the region’s urban areas. Pupils living in the Isles of Scilly (68%) and West Dorset (67%) were most likely to achieve qualifications at this level (Figure 4.6.2) while those in the City of Bristol (46%) or
Torridge (46%) were least likely.

Figure 4.6.2 Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools achieving five or more
grade A* - C at GCSE, 2010

[ Zoom ]

Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools achieving five or more grade A*-C at GCSE, 2010 (Fig 4.6.2). Contains OS Data; Source: DfE.

4.6.8 To some extent, these sub-regional variations are influenced by patterns of local deprivation with GCSE performance related positively to affluence (Figure 4.6.3) but with all areas seeing an improvement over the last year.

Figure 4.6.3 Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools gaining 5 or more A*
- C passes at GCSE, including English and Maths, by IMD 07 Decile

[ Zoom ]

Percentage of pupils at maintained secondary schools gaining 5 or more A* - C passes at GCSE, including English and Maths, by IMD 07 Decile (Fig 4.6.2). Source: DfE.