SOUTHWATER Infants’ School has become one of the Government’s super schools, setting a shining example to those that are failing.
Underachieving West Sussex schools will have a chance to learn from the good practice of the Worthing Road infants.
It was awarded “beacon” status by the Department of Education, just about the highest accolade it can get.
Beacon schools were introduced by the Labour Government to spread excellence in the South East’s inner city” areas.
Anne Duke, headteacher at Southwater Infants’ School, said: “Obviously we are very honoured to be considered one of the best performing schools in the country. If our role is to give advice and support and set an example to other schools we are very happy to do so, but in a way that is most suited to those schools. It is very important that we don’t impose in any way."
The school has received two glowing Ofsted inspection reports and has had some excellent SAT results, including coming in the top five per cent of the country for the writing examination.
Estelle Morris, school-standards minister, said:
“Beacon schools are playing a vital role in the drive to raise standards in classrooms by sharing approaches to teaching and passing on expertise across the curriculum.
“Schools can now draw on a growing national network which is spreading best practice in education. We are extending the range of provision across the country to assist those schools which are in the most deprived areas of the country.
“I want to encourage lower performing schools to twin with beacon schools so that they do not have to face the challenges alone.”
“All the new beacon schools will be serving cities or have partners in cities. Several of this year’s new beacons are schools which have achieved high performance in the face of difficult circumstances.”
She said beacon schools were already having an impact on standards, acting as levers for change, catalysts for debate and challenging others to review their own practices.
“Beacon schools are playing a major role in reinstating values of co-operation and sharing, encouraging schools to collaborate rather than compete with one another,” she said.
Forty-seven of the 300 schools to be awarded beacon status from September are in the South East, bringing the total to 550 in England and 81 in the region.
