School Performance Tables (Hansard, 25 November 1992)

§ Mr. Patten

Under the parents charter, the information about schools' performance made available to parents in comparative tables will build up systematically over the remainder of the decade.

Public examination results

The Department published this month the first comparative tables of GCSE and A/AS examination results in all maintained schools and those independent schools which volunteered to take part. From 1993, the published information will cover all secondary schools in England, including all independent ones. The Department will also be considering how to incorporate information about the vocational qualifications obtained in each school as increasing numbers of pupils try for these.

National curriculum test results

The Department will shortly publish the national results of the 1992 national curriculum tests of seven-year-olds in English, mathematics, science and technology and an analysis of the results in each LEA. The results in each LEA will be set alongside information about expenditure per nursery/primary pupil in the LEA so that judgments can be made about value for money at local level. Equivalent national and LEA analyses of the results of NC tests will be published every year after this as the assessment arrangements are extended to new subjects and key stages. The Department is also publishing this year a national analysis of the results of the 1992 pilot tests of 14-year-olds in mathematics and science in which 75 per cent. of secondary schools took part.

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The Department published for consultation on 21 October proposals for the inclusion of information about the results of the tests of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds in the comparative tables of school performance. Under these proposals information will be published annually, school by school, about the proportion of pupils in each age group reaching or exceeding a target level. The information will cover every maintained school and those independent schools which participate in the tests.

This means that the publication of comparative information about NC test results will be introduced to the following schedule:

from 1993 and subsequently:

the results of 7-year-olds in English, mathematics, science, technology, history and geography;
the results of 14-year-olds in English, mathematics, science and technology.

from 1994 and subsequently:

the results of 11-year-olds in English, mathematics, science and technology;
the results of 14-year-olds in history and geography;

from 1995 and subsequently:

the results of 11-year-olds in history and geography;
the results of 14-year-olds in modern foreign languages.

The proposals do not envisage the publication of comparative information about results in music, art and PE because these subjects will not be assessed on the NC 10 level scale.

Comparative information about the enhancement of pupils' learning over time achieved by schools

The Department's October proposals also foreshadow the publication in comparative tables of a standard measure of the extent to which schools have enhanced pupils' attainments between one key stage of the National Curriculum and another—the "value-added". These measures will be phased in as and when pupils assessed at one age are assessed again at another. This implies the following timetable:

from 1995 and subsequently:

the enhancement between testing at seven (key stage 1) and at 11 (key stage 2);
the enhancement between testing at 14 (key stage 3) and at 16 (key stage 3).

from 1997 and subsequently:

the enhancement between testing at 11 (key stage 2) and 14 (key stage 3).

from 1999 and subsequently:

the enhancement between testing at 11 (key stage 2) and 16 (key stage 4).

Attendance rates

From 1993, it is intended that the comparative tables will contain information about the annual unauthorised pupil absence, and the numbers of pupils involved, in all maintained and independent schools.

Pupils' routes to further and higher education, training and employment

From 1993, it is intended that the comparative tables will contain information about the routes taken by pupils at age 16. The information published will cover both maintained and independent schools.

Further information

In addition to the comparative tables, each maintained school is required to produce a prospectus each year. The school can include any information which it feels would be helpful, but must include:

full details of all public examinations taken by pupils, including vocational qualifications, broken down by 697 subject and gender;
rates of unauthorised absence for each term and each year group;

and, from 1993, we propose:

national curriculum test results;
routes taken by pupils once they reach school leaving age.

The prospectus must also summarise curriculum and examination policies and arrangements made for pupils with special educational needs. We propose to require in addition a statement about how the school promotes the moral, spiritual, social and cultural values of pupils.

From September 1993 full inspection reports on every maintained secondary school will be published every four years. Four-yearly inspections of other maintained schools will start in 1994. The inspections will be arranged by OFSTED (the Office for Standards of Education) and will report on the quality of education, standards achieved, efficiency of management and development of values in the school. All parents will be sent a summary of the report on their children's school. The full report on each school will be available at the school and in local libraries.