Schools have their say on GCSE performance measure change
On September 29 last year, the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced that only a pupil’s first grade in a particular subject would count towards a school’s annual performance tables.
This means that any resits for GCSEs which a student takes will not be counted in all-important performance measures released by schools each year and which form an important component in how schools are seen to be performing.
Results which are expected to be published in January for secondary schools will reflect the ‘first entry’ grades for English Baccalaureate subjects only and then the following year, all subjects will be affected.
In August, two schools unions, the National Association of Head Teachers and Association of School and College Leaders, together with education bodies United Learning and PiXL, set up an ‘alternative performance table’.
These voluntary tables ask schools to publish their own performance tables, independent of the Department for Education and Ofsted, and the tables would factor resit grades with a future aim of including additional information such as extra-curricular activities.
The headteacher of Park House School, Derek Peaple, said of the ‘first entry’ issue: “All schools recognise the importance of accountability and transparency in terms of performance. In relative terms, it can be seen as a positive step that this year’s performance tables are at least likely to better reflect the integrity of a curriculum offer that is provided by a school in the longer term interests of its young people.
“There are, however, much wider issues about the reliability, use and value of these tables, whatever way they are composed and presented. Firstly, because the criteria used are changed every year, it is very difficult to make any meaningful comparisons and parents are understandably confused about what they are actually measuring.
He said that tables can only provide a very limited picture of what students can do and achieve and that these results do not fully account for the wider range of student experiences and learning at school.
He said: “They don’t reflect young people’s wider personal skills and achievements, or their contribution to community.”
West Berkshire Council executive member for education Irene Neil (Con, Aldermaston) also questioned the validity of the new performance measures. She said: “We have been looking at ‘first’ and ‘best’ for both secondary and primary schools.
“If you apply ‘first’, a dip is likely nationally, although there could be big differences between individual schools. For us the results may go down slightly but should stand up well against national and SE comparisons.
“The use of ‘first’ is rather unhelpful as students, and rightly so, will be putting ‘best’ on their application forms and this will show what the young people are actually capable of.
“I am not sure that the change is either helpful or necessary. I suppose you need some form of league tables but I think parents need to take a lot more information into account when choosing a school.”
Performance tables are expected to be released in December for primary schools and in January for secondary schools.