Redbridge schools are underperforming in key A-level subjects, particularly in the sciences and government and politics. Overall A-level outcomes in Redbridge are below national averages, with an average grade of C+ achieved per entry in 2024, prompting a strategic effort to improve Key Stage 5 (KS5) results.
The report, presented to the Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee on Tuesday, outlined that while Redbridge performs similarly to the London average in maths, psychology, and economics, there's a significant negative difference in biology, chemistry, physics, and government and politics. The report also noted a decline in KS5 outcomes across the board, making it a primary focus for all schools in the borough.
Several factors are believed to be contributing to the underperformance. These include socio-economic factors, such as disadvantaged students pursuing facilitating subjects and parental education levels not always supporting extra-curricular learning. Systemic factors, such as teacher quality and teaching styles, and students lacking independent critical thinking skills, also play a role. Legacy factors, including students' mental health and increased anxiety post-pandemic, further compound the issue. School-level strategies are in place to provide emotion-based student support with specific strategies for coping with anxiety and stress.
In response to these challenges, the School Improvement Service formed a Sixth Form Strategy Group in September 2023, inviting all 11 maintained schools with sixth forms to participate. Academies will be invited from September 2025. The group aims to strategise and implement approaches for improving KS5 outcomes.
One reason academies are not being invited to participate in the Sixth Form Strategy Group until September 2025 is that there has been little to no relationship between Sixth Form Leaders in academies and the LA School improvement Team to fully understand the extent of A Level underperformance in that school context, according to the School Improvement at KS5 to Education Scrutiny Panel June 2025 report.
Improvement strategies are being implemented at three levels: Redbridge Local Authority (LA), school-level, and collaboratively through the Sixth Form Strategy Group. School-level strategies include strengthening teacher professional development, utilising assessment and Alps data, providing student support, and early intervention, and a recruitment drive into the sixth form. Redbridge LA-level strategies involve visiting every maintained secondary school to discuss A-level outcomes, reviewing the quality of provision and teaching in some schools, and working with individual heads of sixth form to complete Sixth Form Improvement Plans.
The Sixth Form Strategy Group will extend its invitation to academies from September 2025 and increase its focus on reviewing the quality of education.
The Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee was asked to consider and comment on the points raised in respect of the School Improvement Strategy for improving A Level outcomes in Redbridge, as detailed in the School Improvement at KS5 to Education Scrutiny Panel June 2025 report.