Katherine Birbalsingh's book gives a sense of how the data on school performances can be skewed by the proportion of children getting A*-C GCSEs. Teachers get very interested in someone heading for a D to try and make sure they get a C. But if a child gets an a rather than a B, or a D rather than an E, it is irrevelvant to what shows up.
But parents can now see how every single secondary school in England performs in each GCSE subject. This will help families choose the right school for their children.
In recent years the main exam result information available has been the proportion achieving five A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths.
This year a new measure has been introduced, showing the percentage of children in a school who achieve the English Baccalaureate.
And over 14 million “hidden” exam results have been opened up to the public so parents are able to rank schools by seeing:
This new data means that parents will get a proper and detailed understanding of the performance of local schools. They will then be able to make the most appropriate choices for their children. The new information will drive schools to improve standards across the board, not just in certain league table measures.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said:
We live in an age when people expect more information, not less, in all areas of life. Our schools should be no different. For too long exam results in schools have been hidden.
Parents have been desperate for more information on schools but too little has been available in the past. By publishing all this data we are giving parents the ability to choose the right school for their
child.
It will drive standards across the board and ensure that schools are accountable for their performance.
Today’s publication comes after school-by-school spending data for 2009-10 was also published alongside the January performance tables. This allows parents, researchers and the public to look at how much
each individual institution spends per pupil on staffing, energy, catering and other costs.
Click here and then on "archive" for the details on individual schools.