The end of the school holidays means for teachers, schools and many youngsters the results season for public exams. These days the conclusion, at least in the media, of the process is marked by the publication of school league tables.
Schools have had a long and uneasy relationship with league tables since they were introduced in the 1990s. No doubt they have played a part in sharpening up practice in schools and they brought some much needed transparency and accountability which, pre-internet, were very difficult for parents to find. They are though not without their flaws. Schools are ranked on raw outcomes usually the percentage of exams taken (GCSE or A Level) that gain grades A* or A. There can be a huge variation, from schools at the top where virtually all results are at this level, to much more modest percentages down towards the bottom of the league. What is the magic these high-performing schools have to generate such eyewateringly good grades?
It doesn’t take a huge amount of detective work to understand why the schools rank as they do. Overwhelmingly the most important factor in a school’s league table position is the ability of its intake. Many schools at the top of the A Level league table have very high criteria for entry into the Sixth Form or retain very able pupils selected earlier in their career. Many of the independent schools at the top of the league are in London or the South East. In these affluent areas it is not unusual for parents to apply for nine schools for their child in the hope of securing a place at just one; the maelstrom of the education system in those areas stands in stark contrast to independent school admissions elsewhere in the country. So, competition is fierce, selection criteria are tough, only the brightest get in and lo and behold, excellent results ensue. Of course good teaching goes on in these schools I have worked in three London schools all in the “premier league” (as they are rather smugly known) and have had the pleasure of working with some excellent colleagues. However, even they would admit that they are teaching a very narrow ability range compared with the general population. Sadly there are also blacker arts to achieving highly in the tables. It is not unknown for schools to enter pupils for exams only when they are predicted to do well. Encouraging pupils to take their exams elsewhere, or simply asking them to leave, will mean that only the best results are counted on the schools’ statistics.
There has been a high-profile example of this in a school in the South East only this year. Schools may choose only to record some of their results formally, or enter pupils for qualifications that either don’t count on A Level statistics or do, depending on whether this contributes negatively or positively to the school’s standing. Make no mistake many heads will feign an offhand approach to league tables but all are under pressure from governors to compare favourably to schools down the road. What to make of it as a parent then? The key questions to focus on when looking at your child’s school’s league table position is on the value that the school adds to your child. This isn’t just a handwavey notion about character or opportunities to star in the school play. Value-added is real data that measures pupils on intake to a school, generates predictions based on that, and then compares it with the results the pupils then actually get. The value added, or indeed subtracted, is the difference between outcome and prediction. For me that is the key measure of the academic success of the school much more so than raw exam results. For some pupils, three Cs at A Level is a massive achievement, reflecting excellent teaching and hard work from the youngster. That won’t be recognised in a school league table however.
As a Head, though, that performance might give me more satisfaction than three As for a very bright pupil. In some sense I would say that; value-added data at my school is very pleasing. We achieve that by being ambitious for all our pupils – not just those at the A/B borderline and by supporting and challenging them along the way. Sadly, there is no league table for that.
Schools have had a long and uneasy relationship with league tables since they were introduced in the 1990s. No doubt they have played a part in sharpening up practice in schools and they brought some much needed transparency and accountability which, pre-internet, were very difficult for parents to find. They are though not without their flaws. Schools are ranked on raw outcomes usually the percentage of exams taken (GCSE or A Level) that gain grades A* or A. There can be a huge variation, from schools at the top where virtually all results are at this level, to much more modest percentages down towards the bottom of the league. What is the magic these high-performing schools have to generate such eyewateringly good grades? It doesn't take a huge amount of detective work to understand why the schools rank as they do. Overwhelmingly the most important factor in a school's league table position is the ability of its intake. Many schools at the top of the A Level league table have very high criteria for entry into the Sixth Form or retain very able pupils selected earlier in their career. Many of the independent schools at the top of the league are in London or the South East. In these affluent areas it is not unusual for parents to apply for nine schools for their child in the hope of securing a place at just one; the maelstrom of the education system in those areas stands in stark contrast to independent school admissions elsewhere in the country. So, competition is fierce, selection criteria are tough, only the brightest get in and lo and behold, excellent results ensue. Of course good teaching goes on in these schools I have worked in three London schools all in the "premier league" (as they are rather smugly known) and have had the pleasure of working with some excellent colleagues. However, even they would admit that they are teaching a very narrow ability range compared with the general population. Sadly there are also blacker arts to achieving highly in the tables. It is not unknown for schools to enter pupils for exams only when they are predicted to do well. Encouraging pupils to take their exams elsewhere, or simply asking them to leave, will mean that only the best results are counted on the schools' statistics. There has been a high-profile example of this in a school in the South East only this year. Schools may choose only to record some of their results formally, or enter pupils for qualifications that either don't count on A Level statistics or do, depending on whether this contributes negatively or positively to the school's standing. Make no mistake many heads will feign an offhand approach to league tables but all are under pressure from governors to compare favourably to schools down the road. What to make of it as a parent then? The key questions to focus on when looking at your child's school's league table position is on the value that the school adds to your child. This isn't just a handwavey notion about character or opportunities to star in the school play. Value-added is real data that measures pupils on intake to a school, generates predictions based on that, and then compares it with the results the pupils then actually get. The value added, or indeed subtracted, is the difference between outcome and prediction. For me that is the key measure of the academic success of the school much more so than raw exam results. For some pupils, three Cs at A Level is a massive achievement, reflecting excellent teaching and hard work from the youngster. That won't be recognised in a school league table however. As a Head, though, that performance might give me more satisfaction than three As for a very bright pupil. In some sense I would say that; value-added data at my school is very pleasing. We achieve that by being ambitious for all our pupils - not just those at the A/B borderline and by supporting and challenging them along the way. Sadly, there is no league table for that.
