Secondary School GCSE (and equivalent) Performance Tables 2015 Northumberland 929 About These Tables General You can ind contextual information, such as measures can be found in the methodology The secondary school performance tables pro- school inance, school workforce data, pupil and technical guides section on the vide information on the school performance for characteristics, pupil absence data, Ofsted rat- secondary school performance tables pupils at the end of key stage 4 of the national ings and education destination measures of website at www.education.gov.uk/ curriculum. pupils who left secondary education present- schools/performance/documents.html ed alongside each school on the performance ■ an adjustment to the associated The national curriculum key stage 4 test results tables website. point scores for non-GCSEs so that no are provided in the performance tables. The qualiication counts as larger than one coverage of schools includes state funded Major reforms that afect performance GCSE in size. For example, where a BTEC schools (excluding hospital schools, pupil refer- measures may have previously counted as four GCSEs ral units and alternative provision), further edu- There are two major reforms that have an impact it is now reduced to the equivalence cation establishments with 14 to 16 provision on the 2014/15 GCSE and equivalent results. It of a single GCSE in its contribution to and all independent schools in England. For is important to be aware of these reforms when performance measures each local authority (LA) area, schools are listed looking at the latest results on the performance ■ to restrict the number of non-GCSE alphabetically, with special schools shown in a tables and making any comparison to previous qualiications that count in performance separate section at the end of each list. year’s data. These changes only apply to igures measures at two per pupil and three per shown for 2013/14 and 2014/15. pupil if the school has opted into the new If your child already attends a school listed in Progress 8 accountability measure a year the tables, you may be interested to see how its Reform of vocational qualiications early. More details on the capping of non- results compare with other schools in the area, The recommendations adopted from Professor GCSEs can be found in the methodology and with the Local Authority (LA) and nation- Alison Wolf’s review of vocational Education and technical guides section on the al averages. LA averages exclude independent (The Wolf Report 2011) took efect for the irst secondary school performance tables schools; but we publish two national averages – time in the calculation of the data underpinning website at www.education.gov.uk/ one with, and one without independent schools. the 2013/14 performance tables. These include: schools/performance/documents You may want to discuss the results with teach- ■ only counting qualiications in performance Professor Alison Wolf’s full report can be found at ers at your child’s school – how do they feel the measures which meet the new quality www.gov.uk/government/publications/review school is performing, and what plans they have criteria. This led to the removal of around -of-vocational-education-the-wolf-report to improve levels of achievement? How can 3,000 unique qualiications from the you support the work of the school? What more performance measures between 2012/13 can you do to help your own child improve and and 2013/14. A full list of the qualiications reach his/her full potential? that can count in 2014/15 performance 1 About These Tables Introduction of early entry policy Progress 8 Expected progress and value added measures In the past, school performance measures have A new secondary school accountability system give you information to consider alongside been calculated using the best result that a pupil is to be implemented in 2016. State-funded attainment data, and an explanation of both achieved in a subject, regardless of the number schools had the opportunity to opt in to the can be found in the methodology and technical of times they may have been entered for it. new performance measures a year early. Schools guides section of the secondary school perfor- that have opted in will be assessed using the mance tables website at www.education.gov. In September 2013, to address the signii- Progress 8 measure. Other schools will contin- uk/schools/performance/documents .html cant increase in early entries, the department ue to be assessed against existing loor stand- announced that only the irst result a pupil ards measures in 2015. Further information You should also consider the data in the per- achieved would count in performance meas- can be found in Progress 8 guidance at: www. formance tables and this booklet alongside ures from 2014/15. This new rule came into gov.uk/government/publications/progress other important sources of information, such efect immediately with regard to English -8-school-performance-measure as Ofsted reports, visits to the school itself and Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects, which are; talking to teachers. Ofsted school inspection English, mathematics, two sciences, history or Choosing a school reports can be obtained from either the bot- geography (referred to as humanities), and an If using the performance tables to inform your tom of each school’s page on the performance ancient or modern foreign language, this pol- choice of school, be aware that they give only tables website, www.gov.uk, or direct from the icy now applies to all subjects in 2013/14 and part of the picture of each school and its pupils’ school on request. 2014/15.This rule only afects a school’s perfor- achievements. Schools change from year to mance measure calculations; pupils will still be year and their future results may difer from accredited with every grade achieved, regard- those achieved by current pupils. less of the number of entries. You should also look at more than one perfor- Further guidance on the early entry policy and mance measure to get an idea of how latest its application to the calculation of performance results for diferent schools compare. For exam- measures can be found in the methodology ple, while igures for the percentage of pupils and technical guides section on the secondary achieving 5 A* to C GCSE’s (or equivalent) school performance tables website at: www. including English and mathematics gives an education.gov.uk/schools/performance/docu- indication of pupils’ achievements at the end of ments .html compulsory secondary education (key stage 4), it doesn’t tell you how far they have progressed from their starting point. 2 Pupils and Qualiications Reported in the Tables Expected levels of secondary school Reporting at the end of key stage 4 Which qualiications are reported? performance (loor standards) The performance tables report on attainment These tables include achievements in all The government assesses mainstream state and progress of pupils at the end of their key qualiications regulated for teaching at key funded secondary schools with at least 11 stage 4 programme of study. In most schools stage 4 by the Oice of Qualiications and pupils, performance against ‘loor standards’. this will cover all pupils in year 11 classes. But, Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and are on Considered against these, a school would be although most pupils at the end of key stage the list of approved qualiications for 2015. seen as underperforming if; 4 are aged 15 at the start of the school year, in some schools there are both younger and older Qualiications that are not on the list are not ■ fewer than 40% of pupils achieving ive or pupils in this year group, as diferent pupils reported in the performance tables. The list of more GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent, progress at diferent rates. approved qualiications for 2015 can be found in including GCSEs in both English and the methodology and technical guides section mathematics Pupils excluded from calculation on the secondary schools performance tables ■ the school has a below median score of performance tables igures website at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/ (73% in 2015) for the percentage of pupils The government accepts that pupils are performance/documents making expected progress between key unlikely to be able to show what they can do stage 2 and key stage 4 in English in tests until they have improved their English ■ the school has a below median score language skills and are more familiar with the (68% in 2015) for the percentage of pupils curriculum in this country. Therefore, we accept making expected progress between key schools’ requests to remove pupils from our stage 2 and key stage 4 in mathematics calculation of results where their irst language is not English and they have been admitted to Progress 8 – Opt in schools only the school in the 2013/14 or 2014/15 school For those schools that opted in a year early to year from particular countries outside the the new performance measures, a school will be United Kingdom. below the loor standard if its Progress 8 score is below -0.5 and the upper band of the 95% coni- These pupils do not count towards the school’s dence interval is below zero. results but are included in national level igures. 3 How to Read the Tables Year on year English Baccalaureate Progress measures comparisons B Key Stage 4 2014 v0.2 Key Stage 4 2015 % achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and maths % achieving A*-C % making % making Prior attainment Number of % cohort grades in both expected expected band based on entries and % (as achieving English and progress in progress in KS2 results % of cohort) SCHOOLS 2011 2012 2013 2014* maths GCSEs English maths Pupils in cohort Sir John Nelthorpe School - A Specialist Technology College for Science, 59% 61%N/A 65% 263 53% Mathematics and Computing All 35 (14%) 8% 65% 81% 63% Grammar School Road Low 0 (0%) 0% 8% 46% 17% Brigg VC COMP 11-19 Middle 13 (9%) 4% 71% 46% 72% MK5 6EX Tel: 01908 831112 MIXED u High 22 (34%) 23% 98% 92% 82% Denomination See the section on Low, Middle and Pupils who have made High Attainers for further information.