Introduction
The school is remarkably homogenous in its make up. This remains both its strength and its weakness. It allows for a great social cohesion within, but this in can also have the effect of cocooning children form the wider world and preventing them having a thorough understanding of those who have cultural lives which are markedly different from their own. These statements really set the context for all that follows in the sense that the data clearly demonstrates the homogeneity of the school but also it is this very factor which has led to the school to focus on the two areas of social and religious equality within it targets.
Looking at the Data
The data within the school demonstrates that the school is in a very narrow social band. The school is 98% White British in ethnic origin, the remainder being White European. This compares with a national average of 74%. Similarly the school has only 0.8% of its children who do not have English as their first language, compared with 16.4% nationally.
Wyche CE School, MalvernWealthy Achievers / 56.9
Urban Prosperity / 16.7
Comfortably Off / 17.4
Moderate Means / 1.4
Hard Pressed / 0.0
Unclassified / 3.5
Unmatched / 4.2
In terms of its catchment the school draws from a predominantly middle class area. According to the Acorn Data 59% of the families are in the “wealthy achievers” category with a further 34% in the “Urban Prosperity” or “Comfortably Off”. This means that over 93% of the families come from upper end of the social groupings. Consequently indices such as the Free School Meals (FSM) are low being only 0.7% compared with the national statistic of 17.4%. So the school’s deprivation indicator is 0.06 compared with a national average of 0.23.
The schools immediate catchment area has 37.3% of its families in the “High Social class households” and only 1.9% living in “Overcrowded households”. This compares with scores of 20.1% and 14.6% nationally.
The percentage of families who have been through higher education is similarly high and reflects the aspirational nature of the catchment of the school. In the school’s immediate catchment again this figure stands at 37% compared with 19.2% nationally.
The gender split within the school is virtually equal although there are variations within the school none more so than in the current year 3 where 75% of the children are boys but of course this is counteracted in other year groups. The more interesting element to note with regards to gender is found in the staffing ratios. For such a small school the Wyche has a high proportion of male staff compared with other primary schools. The teacher gender split is literally 50/50 with a male caretaker and a further male presence in the lunchtime supervisor’s team.
The SEN provision in the school shows that the school is below average for children on School Action but well above average for those who are at school action plus. This is due tothe internal system the school operates where only children that are likely to head towards School Action Plus and require outside support are entered into the school’s SEN system. The relatively high % of children on the SEN register relates more to the school’s ability to recognise and provide for a wide range of children as opposed to a true reflection of the individual child’s ability.
The school has a good reputation locally and so movement to other schools is minimal it has a 90% stability score which puts it in the 80th percentile in the country. Indeed one could argue that even this figure has been slightly skewed by the decline of the Qinetiq site which has led to numerous families moving away which is not the norm.
Summary of Data
Without wishing to fall into the trap of stereotyping the school’s social data reflects a white middle class, affluent background. The nationality is predominantly British and the religious background for most children will be Christianity. As noted in the introduction this has the ability to be a double edged sword.
Equality Targets
The school will seek to develop two equality targets both of which relate more to looking out into the more global context than seeking to find inequalities within its own community.
Target 1: The school will seek to be a purposeful promoter of Community cohesion
Target 2: The school will seek to deliver a form of Spirituality both through its curriculum and its worship that enables those of any faith, or no faith to engage meaningfully.
Target 1: The school will seek to be a purposeful promoter of Community cohesion
The school has undertaken much research on the subject of Community Cohesion (see the document “What is Community Cohesion?” which can be located on the school website). Its findings have resulted in the belief that whilst true “Community Cohesion” in its purest form (as expounded by the government) is not possible within its immediate context it fully supports the heart behind the directive which is to ensure that all children are valued but also come to appreciate and honour those whose outlook on life is different to theirs. In the national community cohesion debate this relates to a cultural and religious divide, but in a local context where there are few such social divisions children need to be taught the preconditions of tolerance on another level. Therefore the school will ensure that its curriculum and ethos seeks to celebrate difference rather than accentuate the aspects of life which can divide. On a day to day level this may simply mean getting children to accept the socially challenged child and allowing them to play in their lunchtime game. On another level the school will seek to actively promote cultural experiences notably its link with Gofu Juu (a school in Tanzania) to engender positive role models from other cultures.
Outcome: The school will be able to demonstrate through it emotional curriculum and its learning logs (a form of internal social assessment) that children are making good gains in terms of their interpersonal skills and their ability to accept others.:
Governors to monitor annually
Target 2: The school will seek to deliver a form of Spirituality both through its curriculum and its worship that enables those of any faith, or no faith to engage meaningfully.
The school is seeking to look at the concept of “Spiritual Intelligence” and what it means for the school as a whole. Mindful of its Anglican background and heritage the school fully appreciates that it has an obligation to provide the children in its care with a Christian Ethos and lifestyle. However the school accepts that not all who attend will have the same faith, nor may they have a faith at all. The challenge is to develop a curriculum that, in the school’s own words, develops in children a sense of spirituality without alienating others who do not share the Christian faith. The school will therefore embark on a journey to explore the concept of “spiritual Intelligence” in its broadest form and see how it relates both in terms of its collective worship but also in its wider curriculum especially through the teaching of RE.
Outcome: The school will demonstrate through both its acts of Collective Worship and its curriculum that it has thought through the concept of Spiritual Intelligence and embedded it as a principle throughout the school.
Foundation Governors to monitor annually
1