Free school meal students

In this story: The results What do you think?

Qualifying for free school meals has long been one of the classic indicators of disadvantage that goes hand-in-hand with educational underachievement – but that is not the case in Kensington and Chelsea.

A league table compiled in July 2007 revealed that the number of students receiving free school meals and achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE was 46.5 per cent compared to the national average of 21 per cent.

At St Thomas More Language College those pupils entitled to free school meals achieved better GCSE results than the other pupils. Why are children from poorer families doing better in our schools?

The results

A new league table has revealed the best and worst places for the poorest students to go to school. The report, compiled for the campaigning group End Child Poverty, shows huge differences in the GCSE attainment of the poorest students in different education authorities across England.

In the worst areas, fewer than one in four of the poorest students achieve five good GCSEs. Top of the league table is Kensington and Chelsea, with 59 per cent of the poorest students, identified as those entitled to free school meals, achieving five A* to C grades in their GCSEs.

Bottom of the table is Nottinghamshire, where only 22 per cent of children on free school meals achieved five good GCSEs.

Nine of the top ten authorities are in London; overall the capital is by far the best region for children in poverty to go to school, with an average of 45 per cent gaining five A* to C grades. The average for East Midlands, the worst-performing region, is just 29 per cent.

In January 2007 the number of pupils in Kensington and Chelsea’s secondary schools entitled to a free school meal was 26.6 per cent. This was well above the national average of 15.9 per cent. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals in each of Kensington and Chelsea’s secondary schools was:

• Holland Park 34.5 per cent
• St Thomas More 24.1 per cent
• Sion Manning 34.7 per cent
• Cardinal Vaughan 10.9 per cent

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals who achieved five or more GCSEs at Grades A* to C in Kensington and Chelsea’s schools in 2007 was:

• Holland Park 56 per cent
• St Thomas More 76 per cent
• Sion Manning 52 per cent
• Cardinal Vaughan 89 per cent

The percentage of pupils across London who received free school meals and achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs, including English and Mathematics, in 2007 was:

• 46.5 per cent in Kensington and Chelsea
• 31.7 per cent in Tower Hamlets
• 41 per cent in Kingston-upon-Thames
• 36.7 per cent in Hammersmith & Fulham
• 39.8 per cent in Westminster
• 21 per cent in England as an average

The difference between the performance of pupils entitled to free school meals and those who are not is also very encouraging for Kensington and Chelsea. Nationally there is a 27 per cent gap, with pupils not entitled to free school meals outperforming those who do. In Kensington and Chelsea the difference is just seven per cent, six per cent in Sion Manning, eight per cent in Cardinal Vaughan and 14 per cent in Holland Park.

At St Thomas More Language College, pupils entitled to free school meals achieved higher than those who are non-free school meals pupils. This is particularly pleasing as the new national indicator set, against which local authorities are to be evaluated, places much emphasis on ‘closing the gap’.

Why is it that children from poorer families do better in our schools? There is no doubt that Kensington and Chelsea ensures that its schools are well resourced by giving schools a high proportion (87 per cent) of the available resources to manage themselves. The local formula for funding schools also ensures that available resources are targeted at schools to ensure that they have what they need to meet the needs of their diverse pupil populations. The excellence of the Royal Borough’s teaching is highlighted by the fact that some 4,000 pupils from outside the borough choose to attend Kensington and Chelsea schools.

The ingredients needed to help children do well in school are very simple. They are outstanding leadership, high quality teaching, good governance, respect for teachers from the pupils and parents who support the staff.

There is no need to tinker or meddle like an alchemist searching for gold. The formula is clear. Where there is investment in improving education for the poorest they succeed. The encouraging news about the performance of our children who receive free school meals is proof of this.

What do you think?

Do you agree? What do you think is the formula for developing high achieving schools? Email your comments on this story to rbkcdirect@rbkc.gov.uk