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www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk PAGE 1A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009

PAGE 2++ A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009 www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . BLACKPOOL

ANGRY CRITICISM: Former headteacherLes Turner at Freckleton CE Primary School

STORIES BY LISA ETTRIDGEAND JULIA BENNETT

COMMENT ON THE RESULTS ATwww.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

GOOD RESULTS: Megan McCandless, Jordan Stimpson, Cobi Barber and AnnieBradshaw Picture: ROB LOCK

FRONT COVER: Sacred HeartThornton pupils (from left) Jordan Cornall-Saunders, Saul Harvey, Molly Moss andKatie Robinson celebrate their success

Picture: MARTIN BOSTOCK

BlackpoolTop 10

Aggregate score out of 300 adding thepercentages attained in English, maths

and science

School 2008 2007Anchorsholme Primary 288 291St Bernadette’s RC 285 273Kincraig Primary 283 272St Nicholas CE 279 255Christ The King RC 279 191Westcliff Primary 275 276Our Lady of the Assumption

274 250Norbreck Primary 272 255Bispham Endowed CE 269 273Hawes Side Primary 269 244

Delays and controversyTHEY are the most talkedabout exams and league tablesever – but for all the wrong rea-sons.

Despite many Fylde coastschools showing improvements intheir Key Stage Two tests (the testsfor 11-year-olds) headteachers havespoken of their mistrust of the en-tire system.

They say the results give only a “snap-shot” of a child’s development ratherthan a true picture of their progress.

One former headteacher even went asfar as to say this year’s league tableswere “not worth the paper they are writ-ten on” after well documented problemsin marking last summer’s Sats exams.

The league tables – which were due tobe published in December – are based onthe results of controversial key stage twotests in English, maths and science. Anoverwhelming number of tests were sentback for re-marking after teaching staffquestioned their quality – delaying thepublication of league tables by fourmonths.

Following the marking delays, ETSEurope, the private outsourcing compa-ny hired to administer the tests had itscontract terminated.

Dr Ken Boston, head of the Qualifica-tions and Curriculum Authority, was thenext to go. He stepped down as an in-quiry into the chaos was launched.

In the months which followed, the KeyStage Three Sats for 14-year-olds wereabolished but the Key Stage Two examsare set to remain for the time being.

Last week teaching unions threatenedto boycott the 2010 tests unless an urgentreview is carried out.

The National Association of HeadTeachers and the NUT teaching unionsay the tests taken by seven and 11-year-olds damage children and schools. Theywant assessments by teachers insteadand an end to league tables based on the11-year-olds’ results

Les Turner, NAHT rep for Lancashirehas launched a stinging attack on re-sults.

The former head of Freckleton Pri-mary School said: “Any education pro-fessional will tell you this year’s leaguetables are a sham, a ridiculous waste oftaxpayer’s money, and not even worththe paper they are written on.

“After the disaster last summer withsome schools not getting papers back atall, others getting the wrong results andthe amount of appeals – the reason theyhave chosen to publish is beyond me.

“Ed Balls, school secretary says thatparents’ want them and schools have tobe accountable which I can’t disagreewith, but what parents need is accurate,valid information about their child’sprogress, not this flawed snapshot.

“It is a shame this Government will beremembered more for their bombard-ment of initiatives and the fiasco withthe Sats results than their commitmentto improving schools and ploughingmoney into education.

“The day Sats and league tables are fi-nally scrapped I will raise a glass ofchampagne to the politician who has theguts to carry it out.”

Scrap archaic system, says headteacherANCHORSHOLME Primarycontinues to top Blackpoolleague tables – but the news isbeing taken with hefty pinch ofsalt by the school’s head.

Figures from the school’s KeyStage Two results show a slightdecrease from 2007 with an aggre-gate point score of 288, down from291.

The figures are based on theperformance of children in theSats tests in maths, English andscience, which were taken lastsummer.

The aggregate score, by whichschools are ranked, is taken fromthe percentages of childrenreaching Level Four in each of thethree subjects. The three percent-ages are then added together togive the score.

AssessmentDespite Anchorsholme’s head-

teacher Graeme Dow’s continuedsuccess in keeping standards highat the Eastpines Drive school, hebelieves the league table systemwhich he has branded “archaicand inappropriate” should bescrapped in favour of “thoroughand accurate” teacher assess-ment.

He said: “I’m very proud of thehard work our children, and chil-dren from across the schools inBlackpool, commit to their learn-ing.

“Having been head of threeBlackpool schools, I know howdedicated the teachers and staffare in our area.

“I’m more than happy forschools to be held to account fortheir effectiveness in the develop-ment of children’s learning, butthis must reflect the widerachievements of children and notmerely scores generated by a fun-damentally flawed system of na-tional testing.

“The whole of their achieve-ment is valued, and their schoolslabelled, by how well they per-form in a series of tests taken dur-ing a pollen-saturated week inMay.

“Not only is this system a poormeasure of our children’sachievements, but it starves ourchildren of a broad curriculum.

“In an effort to jump up theleague tables, schools offer a nar-row curriculum to cram for theSats tests.”

The school’s contextual valueadded (CVA) score has also

dropped slightly from last year,showing 99.4 a drop from 100.9.

The value of the CVA score isalso accepted with some reluc-tance by the Anchorsholme headhowever. He said: “CVA does notrecognise the significant progressthat is made by children who fallbelow the so called “national stan-dards”.

“The contexts themselves aregenerated by statistics and notreal impacts on education, suchas high levels of transience.”

Mr Dow also delivered a sting-ing criticism on the administra-

tion of this year’s Sats and brand-ed the marking which “highly in-consistent”.

He said: “All of our writingpapers had to be re-marked, witha huge majority of marks beingincreased, some by as much astwo levels.

“We didn’t receive final marksfor English and maths untilNovember and final science markswere not confirmed until February.

“Following the debacle, howwill anyone be able to trust thevalidity of the results for 2008 andthe subsequent league tables?”

PAGE 3A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . BLACKPOOL

GREATLYIMPROVED:Christ TheKing pupils(back row,from left)GeorginaGarnett,OliverBateson,AliakaSladkievcz,AdamStambridgeand MeganKennerleywith (front,from left)Abi Lund andFrancescaWalkercelebratingtheirsuccess

Picture: ROBLOCK

ImprovedResults

Most improvement in results over the last four years

School Score % rise

Christ The King RC 279 26Charles Saer Primary 252 26Boundary Primary 239 24Kingcraig Primary 283 21Blackpool Baines Endowed 265 20St Nicholas CE 279 20St Bernadette’s RC 285 19St Cuthbert’s RC 242 19Preesall Fleetwood’s Charity

292 19Thornton Cleveleys RoylesBrook 266 18

Rocketing up the leaguePUPILS at Christ TheKing Primary are jump-ing for joy after theirschool skyrocketed up theleague tables.

The Grange Park schoolshowed unprecedented levelsof improvement in their ag-gregate points score leapingfrom 171 in 2007 to 279.

The figures are based on theperformance of Year Six childrenin the SATs tests in maths, Eng-lish and science which were takenlast summer.

The aggregate score, by whichschools are ranked, is taken fromthe percentages of childrenreaching level four in each of thethree subjects. The three per-centages are then added togetherto give the score with 300 beingthe maximum.

MeteoricChrist The King attribute their

meteoric rise to a particularlystrong academic year.

The figures place the school notonly as the joint fourth highestachieving school in Blackpool –but they also mean they areshown as the most improvedschool on the Fylde coast for theirachievements with a percentageincrease of 26 per cent over thelast four years.

The Bathurst Avenue school hasgot a new headteacher due tostart after Easter and she is de-lighted with the news.

Sarah Smith said: “The resultsand obvious improvement overthe last few years reflect the hardwork and commitment of teach-ing and non-teaching staff, pupilsand parents.

“The school has a strong ethosof working together and as thenew headteacher of the schoolI’m keen to develop this even fur-ther.

“Christ The King holds thechild at the centre of all it doeswith a high value on the wellbeing of each child as well astheir academic achievements.”

The school also posted a highcontextual value added (CVA)score which placed them in theFylde coast top 10. The CVA scoremeasures the progress a childmakes from beginning primaryschool at Key Stage One to leav-ing at Key Stage Two. It is de-signed to take into account dif-ferent challenges schools face likesocio-economic factors, 100 is con-sidered an average score.

Christ The King posted an im-pressive score of 101.5 which putsthem above average.

Fleetwood’s Charles Saer Com-munity Primary school has alsoposted a 26 per cent improvementin results over the last four years.The school has also made the top10 for their CVA score of 101.1.

Another Grange Park school isalso continuing to flourish in im-proving the outcome for pupils.Boundary Primary on DinmoreAvenue is the third most im-proved school in the Fylde in thelast four years on the basis oftheir 2008 results.

They have shown an increase of24 per cent with a CVA of 101.2.Bispham’s Kincraig Primary isalso steadily improving with apercentage improvement of 21per cent in the last four years anda CVA of 101.7.

IN FOCUS:Year Two pupils and headteacher Sean O’Hare reflecton their success Picture: ROB LOCK

Best ever stage two resultsTHE picture is improving at Blackpoolprimary schools as more than half showimproved figures from 2007.

Despite the majority of Blackpool head-teachers having huge misgivings aboutthe accuracy of this year’s league tables,the picture is a positive one overall.

An encouraging 18 out of Blackpool’s29 primary schools showed improvementor retained the same level in their aggre-gate score out of 300 in 2008.

Blackpool’s improvement is shown par-ticularly well in the table of Top 10 im-proving schools over the last four years.Blackpool dominates the table with sevenschools showing the highest percentageincrease out of the whole of the Fyldecoast.

Similarly, seven Blackpool schools alsodominate the table for the Fylde coast’sTop 10 CVA scores with seven schoolsscoring highest in the levels of progresstheir children are making.

DelightedThe resort’s improving performance

has been welcomed by David Lund, exec-utive director of children’s services forBlackpool Council.

He said: “Blackpool Council is delight-ed that once again our schools have raisedthe bar and achieved the best ever resultsat Key Stage Two.

“This is due to the hard work of teach-ers, children and families.

“I’m very proud of the children inBlackpool who continue to make goodprogress in their learning.”

St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary inBispham has cause to celebrate as secondhighest achieving Blackpool school leap-ing from a score of 273 in 2007 to 285 in2008.

In the last four years the Devonshire

Road school has seen a whopping 19 percent increase in its aggregate point scoreand the trend is set to continue.

Sean O’Hare, headteacher, believes afocus on the development of the wholechild is the key to their success as lifelonglearners.

He said: “St Bernadette’s School is com-mitted to ensuring that next generationlearning is embodied in our use of tech-nology which gives children access to anon-line platform that provides a land-scape for that learning, offering personal

pathways and goals. To facilitate this weneed outstanding leaders who arepassionate about learning, have a highsense of moral value, who provide inspi-ration through their beliefs and visionand who give worth to every child in theircare.

“The community capital of the schoolis high because it is centred around aCatholic family ethos where there areshared values and shared aspirations.

“Parents are supportive and share highexpectations with the teachers.”

PAGE 4 A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009 www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . FYLDE

Artistic approach boosts Ribby-with-Wrea ContextualValue Added

Score where 100 is average

School LEA CVA

Shakespeare Primary Wyre 102.6

St John’s CE Primary Blackpool 101.7

Kincraig Primary Blackpool 101.7

St Mary and Michael RC Wyre 101.6

Christ The King RC Blackpool 101.5

Boundary Primary Blackpool 101.2

Thames Primary Blackpool 101.2

Our Lady of The

Assumption Fylde 101.1

Revoe Primary Blackpool 101.1

Charles Saer Primary Wyre 101.1

HUGELY PROUD: Nathan Kirk, Bethanie Drake,Tielah Ashford and Billy HindlePicture: MARTIN BOSTOCK

CREATIVELESSONS: Ribbywith Wrea headAmanda Gregorywith Nathan Smith,Liam Wainwright,Hermione Baileyand Amy Croas-dale

Picture:MIKE FOSTER

Results delight, but headquestions need for testsLEVELS of achievement arebeing driven up all over theFylde coast as schools work toraise the outcomes for pupils.

League tables aim to show notonly how well the childrenachieved in their Key Stage TwoSats, but also how much theschools are actually contributingto pupils’ progress through thecontextual value added score.

Shakespeare Primary school inFleetwood has shot further up the CVAtable which shows the top 10 schoolswith the highest scores.

The primary has scored an impres-sive 102.6, up from 101.3 in 2007. Theimproved score puts the school in thetop slot as making the most progresswith students from when they start inreception to when they sit their Satsat 11.

Blackpool’s St John’s Church ofEngland Primary school has risen tosecond place from third by raising itsscore from 101.6 in 2007 to 101.7.

Kincraig Primary in Bispham hasgrabbed the third place, leaping threeplaces from sixth in 2007.

Boundary Primary school onGrange Park has retained its place inthis year’s Top 10, as has Revoe Com-munity Primary.

Thames Primary in South Shore has

made seventh place on the table. Head-teacher Jean Martin said: “I think oursuccess has been down to believing inthe children and the continued hardwork of our staff team here atThames.

“We have an inclusive policy here atThames, but really the hard work isdown to the children who come intoschool wanting to learn. This helpsour achievement along.”

Despite the CVA table trying to showthe school’s input into progress, theleague table and Sats system is stillviewed with suspicion by many teach-ers who believe the tables can have ademoralising effect on schools.

UnderminesLesley Bennett, deputy headteacher

at Layton Primary School, said: “Ourview is that there should be no Sats atall as it seems an unnecessarybureaucratic process which under-mines the ethos of Every Child Mat-ters and the creative curriculum.

“Measures of pupil progress andachievement should be in place and in-formation readily available for par-ents, carers and local authorities sothat standards are maintained and canbe monitored, but not used in a puni-tive manner as league tables seem tobe.

“League tables can be demoralisingfor pupils, parents and school staff.

Layton’s Sats results were above thenational average in all subjects.

“We are hugely proud of our pupilsand the effort they put in throughout

all of their primary school career.“We would also like to thank parents

and carers for the support they givetheir children.

“Learning and achievement issuccessful when there is a truepartnership between school andhome.”

IT is smiles all round atRibby-with-Wrea Prima-ry School as creative cur-riculum drives them onin their learning.

As all Fylde school’sCVA scores show all areachieving at least 98.4 orhigher – they are continu-ally on the look out fornew ways to help childrenenjoy learning and get thebest possible start in life.

Staff are rising to thechallenge of creating afun and colourful cur-riculum.

BroadActing headteacher

Amanda Gregory said:“I’ve only been here a fewmonths, but I’m im-pressed with the commit-ment shown by all thoseinvolved with the schooltowards new methods oflearning and the drive toimprove standards.

“The pupils at thisschool enjoy active learn-ing and a broad and bal-anced curriculum whichtakes into account differ-

ent learning styles andneeds.

“The children here ben-efit from a creative cur-riculum which includeslearning through topicssuch as The Romans orAustralia.

“Our regular theme

weeks are a specialfavourite, particularly asthe usually involve dress-ing up at some point!

“This is a happy andhigh achieving schoolwhere children work to-gether in harmony andenjoy their lessons.

“Our strong, caring andhard working ethos is no-ticed by all who visit.

“I’m sure the schoolwill continue to thriveunder the leadership ofthe new headteacher whowill be taking up post inSeptember.”

St Annes’ Our Lady StarOf The Sea School postedthe highest Fylde scorewith 100.9, way above thenational average.

Freckleton Strike LanePrimary also scored wellwith an impressive 100.8 toshow how far childrenprogress in their learningbetween Key Stage Oneand Key Stage Two whenthey reach 11.

Warton’s Holy Familyalso scored well 100.3 mak-ing them third followed bySt Peter’s RC Primary inLytham scoring 100.1 andAnsdell Primary fifth with100.

PAGE 5+A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . FYLDE

BUDDING LEARNERS: Lytham Hall Park pupils in their willowtunnel with eco co-ordinator Carol Wildon Picture: ROB LOCK

HANDS-ON: Year Six Ansdell Primary pupils (from left) Rosie Coe,Will Tankard,Ben Clowes, Sam Warburton, Connor Murdock and Jessica Slater with the school’scentenary sculpture Picture: ROB LOCK

FyldeTop 10

Aggregate score out of 300 adding thepercentages attained in English, maths

and science

School 2008 2007

Lytham Hall Park 297 297Ansdell Primary 286 287Our Lady Star of the Sea 286 281Medlar with Wesham 284 250The Willows RC Kirkham 278 278St Peter’s Catholic 276 259Lytham CE 271 259Clifton Primary 265 243Newton Bluecoat 265 265Staining CE Primary 264 273

YOUR TOP WEEKLY GUIDETO YOUTH SPORT INTHE FYLDE EVERYWEDNESDAY IN THE GAZETTE

Joy marred bymarking fiascoFYLDE’S primary schoolsare continuing to achievewell, with more than halfscoring higher in their Satsresults.

Twelve of the borough’s 23primary school were recordedas achieving better marks intheir Key Stage Two Sats thanin 2007.

This is despite the fiasco withmarking Sats exams, which sawmany schools returning high num-bers of exam papers to be re-marked.

Lytham Hall Park Primaryschool topped the Fylde table onceagain in 2008, maintaining its im-pressive score of 297, just threemarks off the maximum possiblescore of 300.

Despite the positive picture forFylde schools, many headteachershave expressed their concern aboutthe accuracy of this year’s leaguetables. Carolyn Vickers, head of the

South Park school, spoke of herdelight at the school’s continuedhigh level of achievement.

She also made reference to thereliability of Sats exams as anaccurate measuring stick of achild’s progress.

She said: “We’re very proud of allour pupils who have achieved sowell this year.

Quality“The high standards have been

due to the wonderful quality ofteaching from a dedicated staff whoare supported by enthusiastic par-ents and governors.

“It takes great commitment onthe part of everyone to maintainstandards.

“Unfortunately this year therehave been many problems associat-ed with Sats and this has highlight-ed the unreliability of the testingprocess and league tables.

“League tables should be read inthe context that they are a poten-tially unreliable snapshot of a

child’s learning.”

Willows School in Kirkham iscontinuing its success, appearingonce again in Fylde’s top 10.

The school’s aggregate figure hasalso maintained its impressivescore of 278, which has seen it shootup one place to fifth highest achiev-ing school.

Some schools have seen figuresleap up to guarantee a place inFylde’s top 10.

Medlar with Wesham Church ofEngland primary has rocketed 34points from a score of 250 in 2007 to284 in 2008 placing it the fourthhighest achieving.

Likewise Clifton Primary schoolin St Annes has shot up 22 pointsgiving a score of 265, up from 243 –securing another superb result.

St Peter’s Catholic Primary inLytham also made the top 10 secur-ing sixth place by scoring 276, up 18points from 259 in 2007.

Keeping in touch with school’s mottoLANCASHIRE education chiefshave congratulated Fylde andWyre schools on their continuedimprovement.

As tables show many schoolsimproving or maintaining 2007figures, teachers have beenthanked for their hard work.

County Coun Vali Patel, cabinetmember for schools, said: “Thesefigures are encouraging and re-flect the hard work of the childrenand teachers.

“I’d like to congratulate every-one involved in helping childrenacquire learning skills and knowl-edge that will stand them in goodstead throughout their schoollives and beyond.”

AggregateAnsdell Primary School has

particular reason to celebrateafter it rose from third to joint sec-ond place in the Fylde’s top 10achieving schools based on its ag-gregate scores.

Despite dropping one pointfrom 287 to 286 in 2008, the Lans-downe Road school remains top ofthe table, along with Our LadyStar Of The Sea Catholic PrimarySchool which rose five points toshare top spot.

Ansdell Primary staff believesuccess is down to their focus onall aspects of a child’s develop-ment, in particular heavy focuson teamwork.

The school recently installed acentenary sculpture which wasmodelled using casts of children’shands.

Headteacher Richard Redcliffebelieves the model is symbolic of

the school’s motto. Like manyteachers on the Fylde coast, healso questioned the worth ofleague tables.

He said: “The ethos of ourschool has always been based oninclusive values, high expecta-tions and standards which are

achieved through doing your bestin everything.

“Our school motto really doesexpress what the school is about– Together Everyone AchievesMore – which spells TEAM.

“Any success in any field at anylevel is always achieved through

knowing that it represents thevery best. That is why whateverour position in any league tablethe achievements of our pupilsand staff are always celebrated.

“Ansdell Primary School has aproud history of enabling allpupils to fulfil their potential.”

PAGE 6 A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009 www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . WYRE

ON TARGET:St John’s RCPrimary pupils(from left) JoeyKnott, JoshTeale, EmiliaTrainor, GraceCarpenter,Megan Evansand EthanRowley

Picture:ROB LOCK

BLOOMING GREAT: Pupils at St Michael’s on Wyre Primary School have benefitedfrom dedicated teachers, support staff and parents

WyreTop 10

Aggregate score out of 300 adding thepercentages attained in English, maths

and science

School 2008 2007

Hambleton Primary 300 300Poulton St Chad’s CE 297 276St John’s RC, Poulton 297 297Kirkland & Catterall St Helen’s

292 N/APreesall Fleetwood’s Charity

292 261Sacred Heart, Thornton 286 257Shakespeare Primary 285 287Poulton The Breck 284 286Thornton Primary 283 259Poulton Carr Head 280 271

All round education keyto hitting league bullseyeTHEY are all smiles at Wyre’sbest achieving schools.

Hambleton Primary is top ofthe class again after every childat the Church Lane school gainedat least a Level 4 in each of thethree key subjects – English,maths and science.

Phenomenal grades are also beingcelebrated in two Poulton primaryschools, St Chad’s and St John’s RC –which have now bagged joint secondplace in Wyre’s top 10 for SATs grades.

St Chad’s pulled off a remarkableleap from 276 marks out of 300 in 2007to 297 this year. Ninety-seven per centof pupils succeeded in getting Level 4in English while all students gainedat least a Level 4 in maths and science.

St John’s was able to maintain theirimpressive 297 out of 300 aggregatescore this year.

Paying tribute to the hard work ofstaff and pupils, Bridget Gildert, head-teacher of St John’s Primary School,on Breck Road, said: “We are, ofcourse, delighted with our results; ourstaff and pupils work very hard.

“All results are celebrated whetherthey achieve Level 3, 4 or 5 as we aremore concerned with pupils reachingtheir potential.”

But she also insisted there was moreto school than SATs and raised the im-portance of pupils building links withthe community.

She added: “We aspire to give all ourpupils a good all round education

which is wider than SATs results.Standards are not just a Year Six issue,pupils have been here for seven yearsso they are a whole school success.

“We have an excellent, hard work-ing staff who work successfully to-gether. We have very supportive par-

ents who value their children’s educa-tion and support school in many, manyways.

“We also have an interested and wellinformed governing body as well asgood links with the parish and thelocal community

“SATs themselves do not tell us any-thing that the staff don’t already knowabout the standards pupils are achiev-ing – they just put 11 year olds througha lot of stress to find out what we al-ready know!”

Headteacher Pam Birch said: “I’m

delighted and would like to say a bigthank you to our whole community –pupils, staff and parents.

“It’s a fantastic place to spend yourweek. The school is going fromstrength to strength.”

Parents’ support adds to high standardsTHE support of parents is con-tinuing to keep standards highat St Michael’s on Wyre PrimarySchool.

Headteacher Cathy Brough isdelighted with the results of lastyear’s Year Six students, whoachieved an aggregate point scorefor maths, English and science of279 out of 300.

The school is ranked eleventhout of the 30 Wyre schools whichreturned data, despite a slightdrop of 21 marks from the 2007 re-sults.

She said: “Our group did as wellas they could have done and I’mabsolutely thrilled with theprogress we are continuing tomake.

Work“It’s important to emphasise

the fact that Key Stage Two re-sults are actually the result ofseven years’ worth of hard workby our school staff.”

With a Contextual Value Added(CVA) score of 100.7, the school isstill well above average.

Mrs Brough added: “Our schoolis lucky that we have a fantasticteam of dedicated teaching andsupport staff and we couldn’t con-tinue to keep achieving like we dowithout everybody’s support.

“We are also very fortunate thatwe get a lot of help from parentshere, they really are our partnersin learning and help our job enor-mously.

“I think the important thing isthat we have very high standardshere at St Michael’s and when we

take on new pupils or new staff,we make sure they keep in withour philosophy.”

Like many heads across thecountry, Mrs Brough also addedher voice to the concerns raisedabout the accuracy with thisyear’s league tables. She said: “Ido have some reservations about

league tables generally, but espe-cially so this year in light of theproblems I know a lot of schoolsexperienced with the marking oftheir SATs papers.

“Feelings are running veryhigh. It’s very disappointing thatso much emphasis is placed onSATs results as they are just a

snapshot of what the pupils actu-ally achieve.

“Luckily for us our parents andlocal community know that theSATs results do not show the allround development of the chil-dren who come here. To me itseems the whole system isflawed.”

PAGE 7A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . WYRE

ONE-TO-ONE: Chaucer headteacher Peter Gerrish with (from left), Jenny Salthouse, teacher CarolineCranston, teacher Kirsty Bell, and Callum Dickinson Picture: BILL JOHNSON

FANTASTICYEAR:JordanCornall-Saunders,SaulHarvey,Molly Mossand KatieRobinsonreact totheirschool’sresults

Picture:MARTIN

BOSTOCK

Top 10 places celebratedI N V E S T M E N T i nFleetwood schools ispaying off.

Two of the town’s pri-mary schools are rankedin the Fylde coast’s top 10schools with the best con-textual value added (CVA)scores – which measuresthe progress made bypupils from the start tothe end of their primaryeducation.

Shakespeare Primary, onManor Road, tops the tablewith a CVA of 102.6 – thenational average is 100.

Pupils at Charles Saer Com-munity Primary, on GrangeRoad, are hot on their heelswith 101.1.

The school has also made animpressive leap in terms of itsSats grades to 252 out of 300,compared to 238 last year.

It shares joint top positionin the Fylde coast for theschool with the highest per-centage increase, 26 per cent,in its aggregate points scoreover the last four years.

Headteacher David Mitchellsaid: “It’s down to the hardwork of the staff and pupils,we are delighted.

“We have a good trackingsystem throughout the schooland every pupil is given chal-lenging targets.”

Other schools are also de-termined to raise pupil at-tainment and are using extrafunding to push children tothe expected level.

Children at Chaucer Pri-mary School, who took theirYear 6 Key Stage 2 Sats in Maylast year scored 241 out of 300in English, maths andscience, compared to 203 in2007.

This year, the school has re-ceived £4,000 from LancashireCounty Council to fund one-to-one tuition for youngsters whoneed a little extra help.

Peter Gerrish, headteacherat the Chaucer Road school,said: “Ten children are bene-fiting from two hours a weekof one to one tuition for Eng-lish and maths in preparationfor this year’s Sats in May.

Pressure“There is no doubt Sats put

unnecessary pressure onquite young children.

“At Chaucer, we work hardto raise pupil attainment to ashigh a level as possible.

“Our results this year willshow a significant improve-ment and I am proud of thehard work put in by staff andchildren alike.

“However, waiting for thepublication of a league tableonly based upon a part of ourwork with children and fami-lies is not helpful.

“We look forward to a betterway of measuring our successacross the whole curriculumand not just on how wellpupils do in sitting one batteryof tests in one week of theyear.”

16Wyre schools top last year’s successWYRE pupils have put their heart and soulinto making great strides in their exam re-sults.

Sixteen schools across the area can boast animprovement in Sats grades compared to lastyear.

Students from Sacred Heart Primary Schoolare celebrating a massive leap in its aggregatescore from 257 out of 300 in the three key sub-jects in 2007 to 286 this year.

The announcement of their impressivegrades tops a fantastic year for pupils andstaff, who were praised for their hard work fol-lowing an Ofsted inspection, which classed theschool as “good with many outstanding quali-ties”.

PleasedPaul Eaton, headteacher at the Heys Street

school in Thornton, said: “We are delightedthat the hard work of the children, staff andparents was rewarded by such outstandingachievements in terms of results.

“But more importantly, we are pleased withthe outstanding development of the childreninto wonderful young people during their timeat Sacred Heart.

“We have watched children develop in termsof confidence and ability.

“We are very proud of our fantastic childrenand the ongoing hard work and dedication ofour staff which contributed to these out-standing results, following our excellent Ofst-ed report.”

Sacred Heart was sixth in Wyre for its Sats

grade and the school’s contextual value added(CVA) rose to 100.4 this year – 100 is the aver-age. There were notable improvements in thedevelopment of the children’s maths skillswith a CVA of 101.4, ranking the school in thetop 16 per cent in the country. Another Thorn-ton school ranked in Wyre’s top ten for Sats

scores is Thornton Primary School, on HeysStreet.

Last year’s Year 6 pupils achieved 283 out of300 in their maths, science and English exams,compared to 259 last year.

The school is also above average in its CVAmark with 100.5

That’s writeway to do it!

ROYLES Brook Primary ismaking reading fun to betterpupils’ results.

The Thornton school sawthe biggest improvement inSats scores out of all schoolsin Wyre this year, compared to2007.

Aggregate mark for Eng-lish, maths and science rosefrom 209 out of 300 to 266.

Beverly Hull, headteacherat the Marsh Road school

(inset above), said: “We are delighted with the im-provement which is the result of a lot of hard workfrom students, staff and parents. While we are con-scious that each year group is very different, we areworking towards keeping that standard up.”

Strategies have been put in place, with a majorfocus on improving reading standards which hasled pupils to creating their own published book –We Are Writers.

Around 160 budding writers were involved in pro-duction of the paperback, which parents were ableto buy to keep as a memento of their child’s hardwork.

Mrs Hull added: “We have encouraged staff tohave dedicated reading times with the pupils andwe have produced our own book. All the junior chil-dren were involved.”

PAGE 8 A Gazette Publication Wednesday, April 1, 2009 www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Primary School League Tables 2008. . . . . . . THE RESULTS

Anchorsholme Primary School 625 92 92% 27% 97% 51% 99% 66% 29.7 286 291 291 288 99.4 1.10% 1.10% 3.00%Bispham Endowed CE 462 59 86% 34% 88% 24% 95% 39% 28.1 262 267 273 269 100.8 2.20% 6.50% 4.50%Blackpool Baines Endowed CE 505 72 90% 43% 82% 28% 93% 53% 28.7 221 209 249 265 100.7 2.20% 4.80% 14.70%St John's CE 231 35 83% 37% 80% 40% 91% 46% 28.6 278 266 240 254 101.7 3.60% 10.80% 25.10%St Nicholas CE 240 33 94% 18% 91% 39% 94% 61% 28.9 233 240 255 279 99.9 7.40% 4.60% 8.30%Boundary Primary 433 62 76% 16% 74% 13% 89% 26% 26.5 192 229 260 239 101.2 6.60% 18.70% 27.30%ChristThe King RC Primary 203 34 91% 32% 91% 38% 97% 50% 28.9 221 233 191 279 101.5 4.00% 11.80% 27.10%Claremont Primary 534 90 46% 9% 56% 10% 70% 12% 24.7 178 183 159 171 99.5 8.00% 11.60% 21.90%Devonshire Primary 481 71 73% 17% 72% 17% 83% 31% 26.8 NA 202 220 228 100.6 2.10% 7.10% 16.40%Hawes Side Primary 520 77 86% 25% 88% 27% 95% 42% 28.4 229 217 244 269 98.7 2.60% 6.70% 15.40%Holy Family Catholic School 204 31 81% 19% 81% 32% 77% 26% 27.4 291 297 262 239 98.4 1.10% 7.80% 20.60%Kincraig Primary School 143 18 89% 22% 94% 39% 100% 72% 29.2 234 252 272 283 101.7 5.50% 3.50% 17.50%Layton Primary School 621 94 84% 29% 79% 31% 89% 57% 28.2 260 252 272 252 100.3 2.50% 3.40% 12.70%Marton Primary Nursery 382 68 72% 22% 69% 34% 87% 34% 27.1 232 222 261 228 100.1 4.10% 9.70% 14.90%Mereside Primary 202 37 46% 16% 51% 11% 73% 19% 24.6 193 191 231 170 99.8 7.40% 21.30% 27.70%Moor Park Primary 458 89 78% 16% 84% 36% 87% 33% 27.5 NA 226 226 248 99.2 6.40% 5.20% 16.60%Norbreck Primary 568 90 91% 37% 90% 49% 91% 48% 29.1 278 273 255 272 100 2.60% 6.30% 10.00%Our Lady ofThe Assumption 193 31 90% 39% 90% 29% 94% 68% 29.1 279 252 250 274 101.1 1.20% 9.80% 7.80%Revoe Community Primary 473 77 73% 26% 82% 22% 82% 32% 26.8 204 238 239 236 101.1 3.60% 8.50% 16.50%Roseacre Primary 622 90 83% 38% 86% 37% 93% 59% 28.8 258 251 258 262 99.7 1.70% 2.60% 10.30%St Bernadette's RC Primary 220 34 97% 35% 88% 38% 100% 71% 29.6 239 281 273 285 100.8 1.10% 3.60% 10.90%St Cuthbert's RC Primary 234 31 84% 29% 74% 29% 84% 32% 26.9 203 189 247 242 100 5.20% 5.60% 20.90%St John Vianney's RC Primary 440 59 86% 32% 85% 25% 90% 32% 27.9 221 240 256 261 100.2 3.90% 4.30% 11.60%St Kentigern's RC Primary 215 33 70% 18% 70% 12% 76% 30% 26.3 223 229 206 215 99.7 1.10% 6.00% 26.00%StTeresa's RC Primary 177 30 87% 33% 83% 33% 97% 37% 28.3 237 242 242 267 99.7 0.00% 10.20% 5.60%Stanley Primary School 656 99 75% 22% 72% 24% 87% 42% 27.1 NA NA 246 233 99.8 2.40% 3.20% 29.30%Thames Primary School 484 93 77% 8% 88% 33% 98% 51% 27.9 238 233 230 263 101.2 5.20% 11.00% 24.00%Waterloo Primary School 678 94 83% 29% 78% 19% 90% 37% 27.4 230 256 251 251 99.7 4.90% 10.00% 19.90%Westcliff Primary School 241 32 91% 41% 88% 19% 97% 50% 28.8 NA 279 276 275 99.2 1.10% 7.10% 8.70%

Bilsborrow John Cross CE 36 9 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 0 16.70% 16.70%Carleton Green Primary 264 44 84% 48% 82% 52% 95% 61% 29.2 262 276 264 261 99.9 2.20% 6.80% 6.10%Carleton St Hilda's CE 204 36 86% 28% 83% 19% 100% 47% 28.3 271 277 273 269 100.4 1.10% 8.80% 11.80%Carter's Charity, Preesall 169 23 78% 17% 87% 43% 87% 43% 28 250 266 257 252 100.1 0.70% 10.10% 2.40%Charles Saer Primary 288 54 83% 24% 80% 20% 89% 43% 27.8 200 160 238 252 101.1 3.90% 15.30% 6.90%Chaucer Primary 317 41 78% 20% 73% 10% 90% 22% 26.3 243 232 203 241 99.7 6.30% 12.30% 6.90%Cleveleys Manor Beach 346 61 82% 23% 80% 33% 89% 39% 27.8 268 266 274 251 99.7 0.90% 8.10% 3.80%Cleveleys Royles Brook 270 44 89% 34% 89% 20% 89% 23% 27.8 225 251 209 266 98.1 1.60% 4.10% 13.00%Flakefleet Primary 445 67 73% 10% 63% 13% 67% 13% 25.4 200 214 165 203 98.4 6.40% 14.60% 13.50%Garstang Primary 238 34 88% 24% 88% 35% 97% 53% 28.6 289 294 289 274 99.5 0.00% 2.10% 7.10%Garstang StThomas' CE 155 20 85% 35% 85% 55% 95% 60% 28.6 293 277 297 265 100 0.70% 6.50% 16.80%Great Eccleston Copp CE 153 19 79% 42% 74% 21% 84% 16% 26.9 293 300 225 237 98.7 0.00% 7.80% 3.30%Hambleton Primary 167 26 100% 58% 100% 42% 100% 54% 30.1 282 300 300 300 100 0.70% 9.00% 4.80%Kirkland & Catterall St Helen's 130 12 100% 25% 100% 58% 92% 67% 30.1 286 280 NA 292 100.7 0.00% 11.50% 3.80%Larkholme Primary School 273 56 77% 27% 91% 25% 98% 48% 28.3 248 263 263 266 99.2 3.50% 9.90% 6.20%Northfold Community Primary 179 34 94% 41% 91% 41% 91% 41% 28.9 246 259 242 276 100.9 2.50% 7.80% 11.20%Out Rawcliffe CE Primary 52 8 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 2.10% 3.80% 11.50%Pilling St John's CE Primary 66 7 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 0.00% 6.10% 9.10%Poulton Carr Head Primary 243 35 94% 51% 89% 60% 97% 66% 30 285 266 271 280 100.1 0.00% 2.50% 6.20%Poulton St Chad's CE 234 34 97% 74% 100% 50% 100% 88% 31.2 300 285 276 297 100.4 1.50% 0.90% 4.70%PoultonThe Breck Primary 227 32 91% 44% 94% 53% 100% 50% 29.8 247 258 286 284 100.1 2.00% 9.30% 1.80%Preesall Fleetwood's Charity 125 24 96% 42% 96% 33% 100% 63% 29.4 246 268 261 292 100 1.80% 5.60% 8.80%Sacred Heart,Thornton 163 22 95% 36% 95% 41% 95% 64% 29.5 289 272 257 286 100.4 1.40% 6.70% 7.40%Shakespeare Primary 411 60 92% 47% 95% 27% 98% 90% 30.1 246 272 287 285 102.6 1.10% 7.50% 13.60%St Mary and Michael RC Primary 126 25 84% 44% 88% 52% 96% 76% 30 296 300 286 268 101.6 0.90% 6.30% 4.00%St John's RC Primary , Poulton 204 31 97% 52% 100% 55% 100% 65% 30.4 300 268 297 297 99.9 0.60% 5.40% 4.90%St Mary's RC Primary, Fleetwood 171 21 81% 19% 67% 14% 76% 24% 26.6 256 217 213 224 99.1 3.20% 6.40% 13.50%St Mary's RC, Great Eccleston 25 6 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 0.00% 12.00% 12.00%St Michael's-on-Wyre CE 98 14 93% 50% 93% 57% 93% 79% 29.9 295 294 300 279 100.7 0.00% 7.10% 6.10%StWilliam's RC Primary , Pilling 41 5 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 0.00% 2.40% 12.20%StWulstan's and St Edmund's 329 38 84% 21% 74% 18% 87% 37% 27.2 229 213 227 245 99.3 2.60% 10.30% 9.10%Stalmine Primary 66 13 85% 8% 85% 23% 92% 23% 27.3 256 NA 246 262 98.7 0.00% 7.60% 9.10%Stanah Primary School 389 62 92% 39% 85% 35% 98% 48% 28.9 276 248 252 276 100.1 0.60% 4.10% 4.40%Thornton Baines Endowed 235 34 91% 44% 85% 35% 91% 59% 29.1 270 271 279 268 99.5 0.50% 2.60% 6.00%Thornton Primary 129 29 97% 38% 90% 31% 97% 55% 29.1 245 256 259 283 100.5 2.50% 16.30% 15.50%Treales CE Primary 44 8 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 0.00% 18.20% 15.90%Weeton Primary 103 16 88% 25% 75% 25% 94% 44% 28.1 254 214 NA 256 100.6 0.00% 16.50% 6.80%Weeton St Michael's 37 8 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < 3.00% 13.50% 5.40%Winmarleigh CE Primary 10 1 < < < < < < < NA NA NA NA < < 20.00% 0.00%

Ansdell Primary School 249 37 95% 32% 95% 62% 97% 59% 29.8 275 295 287 286 100 0.50% 6.00% 5.20%Bryning withWarton St Paul's 203 30 83% 27% 83% 33% 87% 53% 28.2 228 254 250 253 99.2 3.10% 7.40% 9.40%Clifton Primary School 224 34 85% 21% 82% 21% 97% 38% 27.9 269 247 243 265 99.1 2.00% 8.50% 3.60%Freckleton CE Primary 149 23 83% 22% 78% 26% 100% 30% 27.6 290 264 271 261 99 0.00% 4.70% 5.40%Freckleton Strike Lane Primary 136 20 85% 65% 75% 40% 95% 65% 29.3 221 232 269 255 100.8 3.10% 6.60% 14.70%Heyhouses Endowed CE Primary485 70 83% 36% 84% 40% 96% 57% 28.9 276 268 288 263 99.8 1.90% 8.20% 3.70%Holy Family Primary,Warton 103 13 77% 46% 85% 31% 92% 38% 27.9 288 271 236 254 100.3 0.00% 8.70% 12.60%Inskip St Peter's CE 40 11 73% 18% 82% 9% 82% 45% 27 NA NA NA 236 98.4 0.00% 12.50% 7.50%Kirkham andWesham Primary 182 24 83% 25% 83% 38% 83% 46% 28.3 245 232 245 250 99.2 0.00% 7.10% 10.40%Kirkham St Michael's CE 195 33 97% 33% 61% 27% 88% 27% 27.5 228 274 259 245 99 0.50% 4.10% 4.10%Lytham CE Primary 214 35 89% 31% 91% 46% 91% 63% 29.1 237 246 259 271 99.8 0.50% 5.60% 4.20%Lytham Hall Park Primary 248 37 100% 54% 97% 43% 100% 62% 30.1 289 297 297 297 99.4 0.00% 2.80% 5.20%Lytham St Annes Mayfield 314 58 79% 31% 78% 22% 84% 40% 27.3 241 242 242 241 98.9 1.40% 8.00% 8.00%Medlar-with-Wesham CE 180 31 94% 26% 90% 26% 100% 58% 28.9 257 246 250 284 99.8 1.20% 3.30% 10.00%Newton Bluecoat CE Primary 229 34 91% 18% 82% 24% 91% 44% 27.9 239 257 265 265 98.9 0.00% 5.70% 9.20%Our Lady Star of the Sea 225 43 95% 53% 93% 49% 98% 70% 30.2 285 284 281 286 100.9 0.00% 2.20% 12.90%Ribby withWrea Endowed CE 138 21 71% 43% 62% 29% 81% 43% 27.1 288 295 282 214 99.8 0.00% 5.80% 5.10%Singleton CE Primary 97 14 86% 29% 79% 36% 79% 50% 27.7 283 NA 250 243 99.8 2.20% 6.20% 8.20%StThomas' CE, St Annes 233 36 78% 22% 75% 25% 92% 42% 27.6 247 259 266 244 98.6 3.40% 7.70% 6.40%St Joseph's, Medlar-with-Wesham 65 12 83% 17% 75% 25% 100% 8% 27.2 245 233 242 258 98.9 0.00% 13.80% 3.10%St Peter's RC Primary, Lytham 209 34 91% 21% 85% 32% 100% 62% 28.8 284 260 259 276 100.1 1.70% 8.10% 4.30%Staining CE Primary 229 36 81% 31% 92% 36% 92% 39% 28.4 234 250 273 264 99.8 1.50% 7.40% 3.50%TheWillows RC, Kirkham 155 27 89% 26% 93% 37% 96% 41% 28.6 278 213 278 278 99.7 1.40% 5.20% 7.10%

Blackpool

Noof

pupi

ls

elig

ible

fort

ests

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l5

leve

l5

leve

l5

SCIENCE

SCIENCE

SCIENCE

Aver

age

poin

tssc

ore

Aggregate score out of 300

Spec

ialn

eeds

Cont

extu

alva

lue

adde

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Stat

emen

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Non-

stat

emen

ted

%pe

rsis

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abse

nce

2005 2006 2007 2008

Wyre

Noof

pupi

ls

elig

ible

fort

ests

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l5

leve

l5

leve

l5

Aver

age

poin

tssc

ore

Aggregate score out of 300

Spec

ialn

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Cont

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alva

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adde

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Stat

emen

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Non-

stat

emen

ted

%pe

rsis

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abse

nce

2005 2006 2007 2008

Fylde

Noof

pupi

ls

elig

ible

fort

ests

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l4

leve

l5

leve

l5

leve

l5

Aver

age

poin

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Aggregate score out of 300Sp

ecia

lnee

ds

Cont

extu

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Stat

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Non-

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2005 2006 2007 2008

Explanatory notes for the tableTHE Key Stage 2 primary school attainmentand achievement league table results are list-ed in alphabetical order for Blackpool, Fyldeand Wyre.

The name of the school is followed by thetotal number of pupils on roll at the school, thenby the total number who were eligible to sittheir SAT tests in May.

The percentage of pupils who gain thebenchmark Level Four in English is then listed.

This is followed by the percentage who passthe higher Level Five. Maths and science LevelFour and Five percentages then follow.

A maximum of 100 per cent is available ineach. There is a listing for the average pointsscore of each child in that school.

The three Level Four percentages are thenadded together to give a total points score outof 300 which can be compared with theschool’s results from 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Each school has calculated a ContextualValue Added score taking into account thedifferent challenges they face, which is used toshow how the school has helped the child

develop from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2, in-fants to juniors. The number 100 is given as anaverage.The rate of persistent absence showsthe percentage of pupils in school typicallymissing a fifth of lessons, both with and withoutpermission. The average point score, showsthe average score achieved across all threesubjects by pupils in the school.The points tar-

iff is: level 2 or below: 15 points; level 3: 21points; level 4: 27 points; level 5: 33 points; level6: 39 points.And finally the number of childrenthe school has with recognised specialeducational needs is broken down into thosewho have statements and those who do not.■ All the data has been supplied by the Depart-ment for Children, Families and Schools.

ENGLISH

ENGLISH

ENGLISH

MATHS

MATHS

MATHS

% of pupils gaining Level 4 & 5

% of pupils gaining Level 4 & 5

% of pupils gaining Level 4 & 5