Almost Half Of Rotherham Kids Below Average in Maths
2016-11-18
There was a further blow for parents worried about educational standards in Rotherham this week. Analysis of a national education department report revealed that almost half of children in the borough are failing to reach average attainment standards in mathematics at GCSE, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Further scrutiny of the figures reveals similar failings at all key stages and across all subjects. Almost half of pupils are achieving to a below average standard.
Local labour council education spokesperson Sandra Judd who uncovered the figures is appalled “To have almost 50% of our children under-performing like this in important subjects like mathematics is a disgrace” she told us “it’s a clear indictment of Tory government policy which has been to neglect the needs of ordinary working people in the town.”
We took Ms Judds criticisms to the Department of Education where an apparently unconcerned spokesperson described them as “somewhat ironic”. To get an academic perspective on the problem, we contacted Hans Schmitt a professor in mathematics and applied statistics at the University of Sheffield, who after a brief pause said ” Is this some kind of joke, did Wolfgang in Dusseldorf put you up to this?” before slamming down the phone.
It seems this is an issue which is too hot to handle. We’ll continue to monitor the situation over the coming months.
