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EXCELLENT START OF ALL SAINTS ACADEMY WINS PRAISE IN HOUSE OF COMMONS
01 December 2009
Central Bedfordshire’s new academy school, All Saints in Dunstable won praise from South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous in the House of Commons on Monday. Andrew Selous called for more academy schools like All Saints to try to raise the achievement of poorest children under half of whom are reaching the expected standards in English and maths, aged 11 at key stage 2.
Andrew Selous said, “It is vital we help children from more disadvantaged backgrounds do well at school so they have a chance to improve their circumstances and that of their own children. 72% of all children reached level 4 this year, but only 48% of white British boys on free school meals and white British boys from poorer homes are now performing worse than black or Asian boys from similar homes. I believe that the approach taken by All Saints Academy will give all these children a good chance of fulfilling their potential so we can close these achievement gaps”.
The exchange in Hansard was as follows:
Andrew Selous: Is it not unacceptable that under half of white British boys eligible for free school meals achieve the expected standards in English and maths at the end of their primary school stage? Does the Secretary of State agree that part of the answer is more new academies, such as the excellent All Saints academy in Dunstable in my constituency?
Ed Balls [Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families]: Since I became Secretary of State, I have approved 136 new academies, precisely because they show that they can raise standards, including for white boys, in the most disadvantaged areas. Of course, it is disappointing that we have not seen faster progress for white boys, but, as I said, the exam results for pupils from the most deprived backgrounds have increased faster in the past 10 years. That is true for primary and secondary schools and for English and maths. We are narrowing the gaps through investing in good schools, good teachers and the one-to-one tuition that is needed for pupils to make progress.
