Medway Outcomes to come
This is the second year of the new GCSE assessments for measuring schools performance, Progress 8 and Attainment 8, which replace the long established 5 A*-C GCSE league table including English and maths. The key measure is Progress 8 (full table here) which looks at progress from the end of primary school to the end of Year 11, and is rightly given priority in measuring performance. Under this measure, Kent is slightly below the National Average of -0.03, at -0.11.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Attainment 8 (full table here) simply measures what it says, with Kent exactly equalling the National score of 46.3 ranked 60th out of all Local Authorities, although there is a variety of other statistics provided to choose from to suit your case.
Headlines: the Grammar School progress table is no longer the sole preserve of West Kent and super-selectives with four girls' schools invading the top eight. Highworth, Invicta, Folkestone Girls' and Maidstone Girls have joined Tonbridge, TWGGS, and Dartford Girls', leaving Dartford as the only boys school.
Top non-selective school is Bennett Memorial, one of six church schools in the top ten, the top three ever present also including St Simon Stock and St Gregory's. For the second consecutive year there are remarkable performances by Meopham School and Orchards Academy, neither of which have the built in advantages of other top performers. Six schools are below the government floor level with well-below average progress, down from eight last year, and so facing government intervention.
Five of the top six grammar schools on attainment are unsurprisingly super-selective in West and North West Kent - along with Tunbridge Wells Girls'. These are the same schools as in 2016, balanced by five boys and one mixed grammar at the foot. The Non-selective table is led by three church schools, Bennett Memorial leading the way above two grammar schools. Four non-selective schools are at the foot of both Progress and Attainment Tables.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Further information below. including the performance of individual schools......
Back in October, Government published provisional results to inform parents making secondary school choices, and allow schools to make a case for removing pupils in certain categories. This is an amended version of the article I wrote at the time, reflecting those changes, although in nearly all cases they are not significant.
Both Progress 8 and Attainment 8 are measured across eight curriculum subjects, English maths, 3 qualifications from sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages, and 3 other additional approved qualifications. The results are measured by an arcane formula whose meaning and spread is very difficult to comprehend, but enable schools to be placed in an order. For Progress 8 there is a target national average score of 0, with most schools being between +1 and -1. Both measures have had their methodology changed to suit government priorities and the new grading system for English and maths. As a result, numbers are not directly comparable with those of 2016.
The government floor standard, or expectation is to be above -0.5, in which case “the school may come under increased scrutiny and receive additional support”. and seven Kent secondary schools fail to meet this, including Simon Langton Boys (an exceptional case as explained below). There are further details of the outcomes below.
| Grammar School Progress 8 Scores for 2017 | |||
| Highest | Lowest | ||
| School | Score | School | Score |
| All Well Above Average | Well Below Average and below Floor Level of -0.5 | ||
| Tonbridge | 0.89 | Simon Langton Boys | -1.39 |
| Tunbridge Wells Girls | 0.89 | Below Average | |
| Dartford | 0.78 | Oakwood Park | -0.26 |
| Highworth | 0.74 | Chatham & Clarendon | -0.23 |
| Invicta* | 0.73 | Average | |
| Dartford Girls | 0.66 | Dover Boys | -0.06 |
| Folkestone Girls* | 0.66 | Borden | 0.01 |
| Maidstone Girls* | 0.58 | Sir Roger Manwood's | 0.04 |
| Non-Selective Progress 8 Scores for 2017 | |||
| Highest | Lowest | ||
| School | Score | School | Score |
| Well Above Average | Well Below Average and below Floor Level of -0.5 | ||
| Bennett Memorial | 0.76 | Hartsdown | -1.45 |
| Meopham | 0.57 | Royal Harbour Academy | -1.2 |
| St Simon Stock Catholic | 0.54 | Aylesford | -1.05 |
| Above Average | Holmesdale | -0.7 | |
| St Gregory's Catholic | 0.4 | Cornwallis Academy | -0.51 |
| Average | Astor College | -0.51 | |
| Duke of York's RMA | 0.25 | Below Average | |
| Orchards Academy | 0.19 | Homewood | -0.47 |
| St Anselm's Catholic | 0.18 | Spires Academy | -0.48 |
| St John's Catholic | 0.13 | Northfleet Technology | -0.45 |
| Hillview Girls | 0.11 | Sittingbourne Community | -0.43 |
| Skinners Kent Academy | 0.11 | Dover Christ Church | -0.43 |
At the foot of the table, are six non-selectives who are below the government floor standard and must be concerned at their performance which may well reflect on teaching and learning. These will be picked up by OFSTED on their next Inspection which should be brought forward, using this measure as a new key standard. Four have been here for both years of the new scheme: Hartsdown; Royal Harbour; Aylesford; and Holmesdale, all of which apart from Holmesdale also occupying places at the foot of the Attainment table. Astor College has now slipped into this category. Of the 'well below average' schools, Hartsdown in Thanet, was featured in my Tough Love Academies article serving an area with high levels of social deprivation along with Royal Harbour Academy both based in Thanet . Aylesford and Holmesdale were both oversubscribed a few years a go, but have been in rapid decline, and leaching large numbers of pupils. Holmesdale has the largest fall in the county, losing 34% of its Year 7 intake by Year 11 in October 2017, Aylesford the third highest loss of 21%. Aylesford is now to become an Academy sponsored by Wrotham School. Astor College in Dover has been declining for some years, with poor GCSE performances, culminating in a Warning about unacceptable standards from the Department for Education last year. Perhaps puzzlingly, Cornwallis College was pronounced 'Good' by OFSTED in November, although qualifying for Government intervention for being below the Floor Standard. Two reasons: firstly the Report records a new headteacher who has led the school on a journey of rapid improvement; secondly, the Report was based on the Provisional Progress 8 standard which just met the Floor Level with 0.5. I cannot see how it could have been awarded 'Good' if the final outcome had been finalised at the time of the Inspection.
| Grammar School Attainment 8 Scores 2017 | |||
| Highest | Lowest | ||
| School | Score | School | Score |
| Tonbridge | 77.9 | Simon Langton Boys | 49.1 |
| Judd | 76.6 | Oakwood Park | 57.4 |
| Dartford | 73.8 | Dover Boys | 57.4 |
| Tunbridge Wells Girls | 72.1 | Chatham & Clarendon | 58.2 |
| Skinners | 71.5 | Borden | 60.6 |
| Dartford Girls | 69.7 | Wilmington Boys | 61.4 |
| Non-Selective Attainment 8 Scores 2017 | |||
| Highest | Lowest | ||
| School | Score | School | Score |
| Bennett Memorial | 57.3 | Hartsdown | 20.3 |
| St Simon Stock Catholic | 50.2 | Royal Harbour | 25.4 |
| St Gregory's Catholic | 49.8 | Spires Academy | 32.1 |
| Duke of York's | 49.1 | Aylesford School | 32.1 |
| Mascalls | 45.6 | Astor College | 32.2 |
| Wrotham | 45.3 | Sittingbourne Community | 34.2 |
| Meopham | 44.7 | Oasis Isle of Sheppey | 34.3 |
| Hillview | 44.6 | New Line Learning | 35.1 |
Clik here to view.