By Julie Morgan

Published at 11:12, Thursday, 17 May 2012

YEAR 11 pupils at Whitehaven School are having to cram lessons, weeks before their GCSEs, because part of the English syllabus is only now being taught.

A concerned parent called The Whitehaven News worried about the effects of this on their child’s exam performance.

“This is an important year and we are angry that weeks before the exams we have discovered part of the syllabus hasn’t been taught.

“We knew the school was struggling, and we have supported it. However, we cannot believe at such an important time they are having to cram in extra lessons to make up for the teaching mistake.’’

Lynette Norris, headteacher, said: “The member of staff would have had sufficient time to cover the syllabus in the remaining time available to us before the exam (we are talking about a small amount of poems that are attributable to one aspect of one of the Literature written papers). We simply put into place additional time to ensure a more thorough coverage.

“It is often very difficult to cover the full syllabus of any subject within the constraints of the normal time-tabled week, and schools across the country adopt the practice of catch-ups, boosters and extra revision sessions for Year 11s to ensure proper coverage.

“Many schools, including Whitehaven School, offer these during the school day as well as after school. During the exam season, normal lessons are often suspended and a collapsed timetable is offered, this provides a welcome boost to confidence immediately prior to an exam.

“It is unfortunate that sessions such as these are seen in a negative light. Any additional support is voluntary and in the case of ‘time running out’ for one member of staff, the school has in place a high-quality, timely and appropriate intervention plan to make up the perceived shortfall.

“We are very proud of our achievements and we are getting better and better at what we do. We are committed and experienced professionals, but sometimes (and rarely) mistakes occur and are unavoidable, as they are in any complex organisation. When these do occur, for which we are truly sorry, we always endeavour to approach each issue individually and with the appropriate response. We take these experiences as a learning opportunity to improve further our service to our students, who are our core business.’’

Last month, Ofsted gave the school a notice to improve. A report said the quality of teaching overall was “inadequate”. However, Mrs Norris, quoting from Ofsted, said: “As a result of changes in leadership in English... progress is now beginning to improve and accelerate.

“The school has implemented a programme of professional development to improve the quality of teaching. Pockets of good or better teaching are evident, for example, in English and the humanities.’’

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk