Knowsley Trends Upwards

Knowsley’s new Director of Education and Lifelong Learning has welcomed progress made in Education League Tables

Above: Stephen Munby (left) and Cllr Larry Nolan meet some Knowsley pupils

Once again schools in Knowsley have made improvements in standards and opened up more opportunities for young people in the Borough. The number of Knowsley's young people obtaining a good GCSE grade is up on last year by 2% - double the national improvement rate. This upward trend is also seen in the number getting at least 1 GCSE pass. A level results have also improved again this year.

The borough has already established an excellent reputation for its early years work and the results in primary schools are very encouraging. More pupils than ever before are reaching the nationally expected standard. The borough’s successful literacy and numeracy strategies have helped to ensure that challenging targets have been achieved.

Knowsley welcomes the Excellence in Cities (EIC) programme. This initiative will bring about major changes in secondary schools to ensure further success in raising standards and in providing wider opportunities for young people.

Knowsley secondary schools are also identifying the most able 10% of pupils through the Gifted and Talented programme. These pupils will have extra lessons to stretch them at whatever they do best in order to develop their talents even further.

More Knowsley secondary schools are set to become specialist schools. Prescot School became a specialist modern languages school this September and Halewood Comprehensive will become a performing arts specialist school in September 2001. St Edmund Arrowsmith in Whiston will also apply to become a technology specialist school in September 2002. This is in addition to Brookfield School which is our existing specialist sports school in Kirkby.

State of the art City Learning Centres (CLC) will provide high tech information and communication technology (ICT) facilities from early morning until late evening for up to seven days a week including holidays so that pupils and adults can develop the technology based skills which are essential in today's technological world. CLC's will be open to all pupils in the area, as well as for local businesses and local people. The first to open in Knowsley will be at Higher Side School in Whiston later this month.

Knowsley already has four beacon schools which is an excellent reflection of the high quality of education in the Borough.