He said: "There was a problem of low standards in literacy and numeracy which had to be addressed. There were also some low expectations of children's achievements. The new authority said it was going to give our children the best chance. Our whole effort has been to ensure that if you are in Kingston-upon-Hull you have as good a chance as anywhere else."The city's schools have produced an 8per cent increase in scores on the national tests for seven-year-olds, and up to a 14 per cent increase in marks in tests for 11 year olds.Hull now has an education action zone and a regeneration project based on youth education and lifelong learning.
Education officers have been working on improving teaching styles, and setting targets for pupils. They say the drive has already cut the number of pupils leaving school with no qualifications. The council's target for raising results is yet to be published, but is said to be "substantial".Mr Reed said: "We have been putting the foundations in place and are beginning to see the results. We are quite confident that given time we will see substantial improvement.". Rowley Fields Community College was required to take "special measures" after failing its Ofsted Inspection in November 1996. Only 66 per cent of the teaching was deemed satisfactory, attendance had dropped to 85 per cent and the number on roll was in steady decline.
The official report commented: "Many of these weaknesses arise from serious shortcomings in the quality of leadership." A few months later, Leicester City named the college for closure as part of its strategy to reduce surplus school places. Re-inspecting Rowley Fields in November 1998, Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) recommended that special measures are no longer required. Ninety per cent of the teaching is satisfactory or better, 40 per cent is good. Examination results are up 30 per cent, attendance has reached 91 per cent and the school is set to expand under a new city re-organisation plan. This is a classic Ofsted story, with a worrying school transformed in two years by special measures. How was it done? After the trauma of threatened closure in March 1997, the parents formed an action group to provide much-needed leadership.
They fought to keep Rowley Fields open and prove the city wrong. A clever campaign injected vitality into what had become lifeless corridors and classrooms.A temporary head, drafted from another school, was swift to exploit his mandate for change. He prepared a far-reaching action plan and challenged his new colleagues to join a bitter struggle for survival. Two vice-principals were appointed internally and began to build new systems and procedures.When city councillors decided to review all 21 secondary schools, rather than deal with individual cases, parents felt they had won a precious six-month delay. An acting principal took over in August 1997, eager to sustain the momentum generated during the spring and summer.
The temporary and acting principals were both experienced heads and used their knowledge to drive the college forward, coaching the deputies and commissioning staff teams to implement the action plan.Both heads adopted defiant attitudes, urging their colleagues to fight the negative influences which had brought them down. Clear expectations were communicated at daily briefings and regular training sessions, where the teachers agreed to a common approach to lessons and homework.The vice-principals offered contrasting leadership styles. One supported and calmed his colleagues through blood, sweat and tears. The other swiftly measured the intricacies of curriculum development and time-tabling. A retired deputy head was hired to sort out the budget until a new finance manager could be recruited.These leaders redesigned almost everything. Governors established sub- committees and agreed to undertake regular monitoring visits. Roles, jobs and procedures were adapted to a changed pattern.