Pulse.Assent

Educational standards continue to rise across England’s secondary schools, as results published today (Thursday 25 January) show more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving good grades in the core academic subjects.

Following the introduction of more rigorous GCSE and A levels to match the best education systems in the world, the data shows:

• The attainment gap between disadvantaged secondary school pupils and their peers has narrowed by 3.2% since last year and 10% since 2011;
• Results for Multi Academy Trusts, with Harris Federation, The Thinking Schools Academy Trust and The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust among the top MAT performers;
• Schools in London continue to perform strongly, with 12 schools in the top 20 for the government’s pupil progress measure (Progress 8); and
• More pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, SEN pupils and pupils on free school meals being entered for EBacc subjects since last year – helping ensure pupils have the knowledge and skills they need for future success.

The data builds on the government’s record of 1.9 million more children now in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, nine out of ten schools awarded this rating at their last inspection and England’s pupils now amongst the world’s best readers.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:

Academic standards are rising in our schools thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, with 1.9million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. Today’s results reinforce this success, with teachers and pupils responding well to the new more rigorous curriculum introduced by this government.

The attainment gap between the most disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed by 10 per cent since 2011, and more disadvantaged pupils are studying the core academic subjects, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills they need to make the most of their lives.

Many free schools and academies are also delivering excellent results for pupils – with Harris Federation and Dixons Academy trusts leading the way.

We will continue to use this evidence to drive up standards even further for all pupils so that they leave school prepared for future success in their education and beyond, helping to build a Britain that is fit for the future.

Other highlights from the statistics show:

• For the first time statistics about disadvantaged students at post-16 (KS5) have been published. This data will help inform future policy decisions so that we can help to focus social mobility policy further at this stage;
• The number of students entering at least four of the five subject areas which are part of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) – maths, English, sciences, humanities and modern foreign languages (MFL) have increased by 4.8 percentage points this year – up to 82.0% in 2017; and
• GCSE (A*-C) pass rates at 16-18 have increased in English, up from 22.8% to 27.1%, and total entries to English and maths GCSEs by 16-18 students increased by 26.3 percentage points and 13.6 percentage points respectively. This will help ensure pupils leave their education with the knowledge and skills they need for future success.
• Schools across London continue to strong pupil progress. Twelve of the top 20 schools in the government’s Progress 8 measure were based in London.

Other regional highlights include:

Confirmation of the top performing schools based on Progress 8 measures, which are as follows:

1. Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School, Blackburn;
2. Wembley High Technology College, London;
3. Taheedul Islam Boys’ High School, Blackburn;
4. Harris Academy Battersea, London; and
5. The Steiner Academy Hereford, Herefordshire.

Data on the top five multi-academy trusts on EBacc attainment, which are as follows:

1. Thinking Schools Academy Trust (Medway & Portsmouth);
2. Bright Futures Educational Trust (North West);
3. Tudor Grange Academies Trust (Midlands);
4. Diocese of London; and
5. Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust.

Confirmation of the top performing areas on attainment (Attainment 8) by region, with the top regions as follows:

1. London;
2. South East;
3. East;
4. South West; and
5. North West.

Confirmation of the top performing areas for progressing pupils (Progress 8), with the top local authority areas as follows:

1. Merton;
2. Brent;
3. Barnet;
4. Westminster; and
   Harrow (joint fourth).

A safe, responsible, long-term solution for the permanent disposal of radioactive waste is the focus of 2 new consultations launched today by the government.

The UK has long generated radioactive waste most of which is low in radioactivity and is disposed of safely every day – from power stations to use in a range of industrial applications including medicine and defence. Some materials need more specialised disposal facilities and this waste is currently held safely in stores above ground. It is not sustainable to keep storing past and future waste on a temporary basis.

A Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is internationally recognised as the safest and most secure way to permanently dispose of higher activity radioactive waste. This involves placing this waste at least 200 metres underground in a highly engineered facility made up of multiple layers of materials such as steel, rock and clay to provide protection while some of the waste remains radioactive – ensuring that no harmful quantities of radioactivity ever reach the surface.

The construction of a GDF would also support a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK, by providing a safe and secure way to dispose of the waste they produce. It will create up to 2,000 well-paid, skilled jobs and bring at least £8 billion to the UK economy over the lifetime of the facility.

Energy Minister Richard Harrington said:

We owe it to future generations to take action now to find a suitable permanent site for the safe disposal of our radioactive waste. And it is right that local communities have a say. Planning consent will only be given to sites which have local support.

Mr Harrington added:

As the government set out in our Industrial Strategy, the nuclear sector has a key role to play in increasing productivity and driving clean growth. Nuclear is a vital part of our energy mix, providing low carbon power now and into the future.

Professor Iain Stewart, Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute, Plymouth University, said:

A geological disposal facility is widely accepted as the only realistic way to dispose of higher activity nuclear waste for the long-term.

Geological disposal facilities are already being developed in Finland, Sweden, France, and Canada.

The first consultation, Working with communities sets out how the project developer will engage with people in areas that may be interested in hosting a disposal facility to seek their views and the second, on the proposed National Policy Statement, will create a rigorous planning process.

Radioactive Waste Management Ltd (RWM) will deliver geological disposal on behalf of the government.

Ann McCall, Radioactive Waste Management’s GDF Siting and Engagement Director, said:

Geological disposal will provide a safe, secure and long-term solution to managing the UK’s radioactive waste, and RWM welcomes the public consultations launched today which place communities at the heart of the process.

Notes to editors:

1. Both consultations will run for 12 weeks. The Working with Communities consultation will apply to England and Northern Ireland. The Welsh Government is conducting its own consultation on Working with Communities in parallel with the UK Government. The Scottish Government has its own policy on the management of radioactive waste.

   Working with communities: implementing geological disposal

2. The National Policy Statement consultation will apply to England only. It will require parliamentary scrutiny by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee and could be subject to a Parliamentary debate and vote.

   National Policy Statement for geological disposal infrastructure

3. Higher activity radioactive waste is produced from the generation of electricity in nuclear power stations, the production and reprocessing of nuclear fuel and the use of radioactive materials in industry, medicine, research and nuclear defence.

On 22 November Wilton Park and its South Korean counterpart the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) will jointly host the first Rules Based International System (RUBIS) conference to happen in East Asia, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. The event is co-sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The conference will bring together South Korea and the UK alongside other regional partners, that are major security and economic actors in the region, to exchange views and thinking regarding the role of the RUBIS system and its contribution to regional stability, security and economic growth.

The event will be opened by Chancellor CHO Byung-jae of IFANS and will include speakers from South Korea, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and China, including Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Danny Alexander.

British Ambassador to South Korea, Charles Hay, said:

I am very excited to be co-sponsoring this important conference with IFANS. This century is the Asian century as countries in the region become more prominent on the issues that are critical for global security and economic development. Influential East Asian countries like South Korea will be instrumental in shaping the future of the international rules based order.

Additional Information

RUBIS – The rules-based international system (RBIS) is founded on relationships between states and through international institutions and frameworks, with shared rules and agreements on behaviour. It works for UK interests in multiple ways: promoting peace and prosperity through security and economic integration; encouraging predictable behaviour by states; and supporting peaceful settlement of disputes. It also encourages states, and a wide range of non-state actors, to create the conditions for open markets, the rule of law, democratic participation and accountability.

Wilton Park – Wilton Park organises over 60 events a year in the UK and overseas, bringing together leading representatives from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, academia, business, civil society, the military and the media. They focus on issues of international security, prosperity and justice. Their meetings provide a neutral environment where conflicting views can be expressed and debated openly and calmly, allowing acceptable compromise and resolution to be achieved.

Their priorities include:

• Conflict prevention, resolution and state building
• Defence and security
• Global economy
• Human rights, good governance and faith
• Multilateral institutions, key countries and regions
• Sustainable development and the environment

You can find more information here: https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/