Local schools GCSE Results 2015

[tomskip]

Last year a helpful poster put up a list of local GCSE results at about this time.

Is there a single source for this sort of information that I can look at, does anyone know, or is it a case of looking at all the individual school websites?

I know there is a limit to how helpful this information can be as the results (from last year at least) were very different on the D of E table come January.

However, I'd still like to have a look if it is relatively easy to find?

[bawdy-nan]

It's tricky isn't it because of the change of rules last year about only "first attempts" being counted in the tables some schools chose to publish "best attempt" results.

According to the schools websites (no idea how they're working these figures out or whether they'll match the official stats) figures on children gaining 5x GCSEs at A-C (including English and Maths)

Harris Crystal Palace ???

Charter 79%

Kingsdale 78%

Sydenham Girls ??%

Harris Boys East Dulwich 64%

Prendergast Hilly Fields ??

Deptford Green ??

Aske's New Cross (Haberdasher) ??%

Bonus Pastor ??

Harris Girls 73%

Last year:

Harris Crystal Palace 77%

Charter 77%

Kingsdale 76%

Sydenham Girls 71%

Harris Boys East Dulwich 70%

Prendergast Hilly Fields 70%

Deptford Green 70%

Aske's New Cross (Haberdasher) 70%

Bonus Pastor 67%

[tomskip]

Yes, extremely confusing. Because last year the actual results (according to D Of E) were

Harris Boys 71%

Harris Girls 56%

Charter 67%

Kingsdale 76%

Sydenham Girls 56%

Forest Hill Boys 58%

Habs 64%

Prendergast 77%

All schools had quite a significant dip in their results compared to 2013 - except for Kingsdale who went up from 60% to 76% (?) and Prendergast who went up from 74% to 77%.

All in all, I wonder how useful these figures really are.

[LondonMix]

I'd focus on the value add score as it shows how well children are progressing relative to the skills they entered the school with. The blunt scores above don't take into account the mixture of abilities of each class which fluctuates between schools and between different year groups within the same school.

[tomskip]

Yes, and you can't see that until January - am I correct?

Any explanation for why most schools saw quite a large dip in their results from 2013-2014 LondonMix? I know you are very clued up on all things education. And why some schools didn't seem to be affected?

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi all there are a couple of reasons why GCSE results have changed. 2014 was the first year of linear GCSEs, ie no modules that could be retaken. Also winter resits except for English and Maths have been scrapped (madness, it means eg if you were unwell on the day of the exam you can't resit). Grade boundaries for several subjects have also been moved upwards in recent years eg to pass Geography or History with the Edexcel board it's not the traditional 50% but 60% to get a C grade. All first attempts are the ones used for stats, this impacted on schools that may have entered some pupils a year or 6 months early and if they didn't do well they would resit in year 11 (the first result counted in the 2014 table). Also some GCSE equivalent qualifications are no longer included in the official tables. Schools have varying results too dependent on their admission cohort 5 years previously (and how they structured their subjects and exams). 2009 was the year Kingsdale suddenly became very popular and oversubscribed and the first year that Haberdasher's Askes had an intake from poorly performing Monson primary plus distance (previously it had a lottery system). Deptford Green does IGCSE in some subjects (I think some pupils do this in English Language) and IGCSE doesn't count in the tables, I think in the tables it was much lower than 70% due to this. It was the first results for Harris Boy's Academy. St Thomas the Apostle in Nunhead has been performing well recently, 76% in GCSEs last year.This is missing off the list, note that it does take non-Catholic boys. For the reasons I've given above the results posted above for 2015 may be different in the tables published in January 2016!

There are so many factors that determine a school's results. In my opinion all the local secondaries are performing well. If you're thinking where to apply, look at the Ofsted reports, visit the schools, see where their specialisations lie; and talk to current parents. Every child is different and one school that fits a child like a glove may not be the best one for another (eg is your child good at language or music or loves drama?). I suggest that in year 5 visit as many schools as you can, as well as Southwark look as schools in neighbouring boroughs too. In year 6 revisit a shortlist of schools and bring your child along too. Please try and visit all schools you put down.

Please do put down 6 schools and put them in order of preference. Please do not put down only long shots, it's good to have a safety net in case you are unlucky and don't get offered a place for your child at one of your/their favourite schools. It's always better to have a place in hand at eg your 4th or 5th place school and wait to see if you get a place at your 1st choice school than to put down 3 choices and Southwark offer you a place at a school you didn't visit and is far from your home (ie where there are places left). Do check the feasibility of journeys to your 6 schools during rush hour. Bus travel is free for secondary pupils, but train/tube travel is not. This year the new Charter school will have separate admissions and therefore parents applying to Charter Hospital Site may end up with two school place offers. This means that this year there may be greater movement in local school waiting lists in the weeks after offer day (as the those holding two offers turn one down).

Renata

[tomskip]

Thanks for replying Renata. I'm still not sure I understand about the early entry results and re-sitting. But thank you anyway.

[Curmudgeon]

tomskip Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for replying Renata. I'm still not sure I

> understand about the early entry results and

> re-sitting. But thank you anyway.

It's simple...schools used to be able to enter kids for the same exam over and over and take the best grade

Now it's only the first grade that counts for the school...so there's no incentive for early entry from the schools

Students can retake still of course

[tomskip]

No, I understand that the first gcse result of any individual student is now the one that "counts" in the stats.

But I can't compute how that makes the results of an individual school drop by, say, 10% from September 2014 to January 2015.

Are we saying that (for example and I am just picking one reasonably local school randomly here) in September 2014 Habs said 70% of their pupils got 5 gcses A-C including English and Maths. But in January 2015 those results had been adjusted to 64% because 6% of the previous result was made up of gcses taken for a second time? But then if they were taken in year 11 then surely they SHOULD count as the school's Year 11 gcse results?

I suppose it's just me, but I really don't find this really simple.