Head teachers invited to have their say

Members of Arun District Council’s overview and select committee want to meet the heads of St Phillip Howard Catholic High School and Felpham Community College to discuss their progress.

According to figures, St Phillip Howard Catholic High School came out on top while Felpham Community College lagged behind.

Committee chairman Paul English said: “We have a duty to ensure the futures of our children and the children of our electorate to make sure they are getting the best possible education.”

At their meeting last Tuesday councillors were asked to think about questions they would like to ask.

Cllr Trevor Bence said it was important to find out how relevant the figures were.

“We need to know if this is a trend or merely just a one off.

“I must say all my experiences with Felpham have been that it is a very good school,” said Cllr Bence.

Committee member Sandra Daniells said: “I think it would be important to find out how many students at each school have English as their second language, this could be having a big effect.”

Fellow member Barbara Oakley asked: “Is there a difficulty for schools to be able to attract good teachers?

“I would be interested to know.”

Cllr English said he wanted to know if there were enough places for local children at Felpham Community College or if they were having to travel elsewhere.

Cllr Mike Clayden said he wanted to know if students were being given the education they needed to progress well in the work place.

“It might be worth asking if businesses feel students are coming out equipped with what they look for when taking people on, is it the GCSE grades they are interested in?” said Cllr Clayden.

Questions regarding how well schools in the area worked together were also raised.

The desire for the meeting was expressed in June after concerns regarding the number of students in the district achieving five or more passes at grades A* to C (including English and maths) were expressed.

West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for education, Peter Evans, and the area’s MPs Nick Gibb and Nick Herbert will also be invited to the gathering planned for the autumn.