Colour-coded ratings unfair to small schools, say governors

Small schools are unfairly penalised by a colour-coded rating system, a group of north Wales primaries have said.

Their chairs of governors said a single child's performance could mean a school was judged to be amber, or "in need of improvement".

The system rates the best schools as green, followed by yellow, amber, and red for schools deemed in the greatest need of improvement.

A second list of ratings was published by Welsh ministers on Thursday.

On Thursday, governors from small primaries in Flintshire, Wrexham, Powys, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Conwy backed an open letter to Education Minister Huw Lewis by the chair of the 67-pupil Ysgol yr Esgob primary school in Caerwys, Flintshire.

Roland Ward wrote: "Even if [a] pupil has additional learning needs and has made exceptional progress the scheme deems that pupil to have failed to have made the grade, and this can mean that the school is 'in need of improvement'.

"There are, no doubt, those in government who will claim that objections of this kind prove that they are 'tough on standards'.

"However, that claim can only be sustained if the measurements are competent and fair."

"This year's scheme, when applied to many small schools, is neither," Mr Ward added.