Brent among top performing authorities for children attending good secondary schools

Figures released by Ofsted put borough among best in the country

Brent is among the top performing local authorities in the country for students attending good or outstanding secondary schools, figures have shown.

The figures, released today by education standards body Ofsted, show that 84 per cent of the borough’s pupils progress onto high-quality secondary education, putting Brent in the top fifth of the league table, coming 30th out of 166 local authorities.

Cllr Mary Arnold, lead member for children and families at Brent Council, said: “We are pleased to see that we are keeping up our high standards in London. Our schools work together to share the best practices, and we have high aspirations for children in our borough.”

Brent’s primary education fared less well, however, with 66 per cent of pupils attending good or outstanding schools.

Cllr Arnold said: “We have two thirds of pupils in Brent in good or outstanding primary schools, which is on a par with comparative boroughs in London, but we are not satisfied with these results.”

Cllr Arnold added that the reason primary schools did not perform as well as secondary may lie in the significant number of young children who speak English as an additional language, as well as high levels of deprivation in some parts of the borough.

She also stressed the importance of giving enough support to teachers and helping them make sure that all children fulfil their potential.