Leicester performs strongly in Progress 8 educational measure
Published on Wednesday, November 1, 2017
LEICESTER is in the top half of all local authorities for its Progress 8 measure, according to new figures.
Results released last month (12 Oct) show that the city is ranked 64th out of 152 local authorities in the Progress 8 measure, which assesses how well young people improve from their starting points over the course of their secondary education.
Progress 8 was launched in 2016, and is designed to measure the progress pupils make between the end of primary school and the end of secondary school. It examines pupils' performance in eight subjects, including English, maths and science.
The results are compared to the national average of other pupils with similar Key Stage 2 SATs results at the end of primary school, which is taken as their 'starting point'.
A school's Progress 8 score is usually between -1 and +1. A score of +1 means that pupils in that school achieve one grade higher in each qualification compared to other similar pupils nationally. A score of -1 means they achieve one grade lower.
A score of +0.5 or above shows that pupils in that school are making well above the expected level of progress.
Cllr Sarah Russell, deputy city mayor responsible for children, young people and schools, said: "To be ranked in the top half of all local authorities for Progress 8 is a great achievement, and shows how hard schools, parents and pupils have been working together to ensure that the right environment is in place for young people to learn, achieve and progress from their starting points.
"I'm sure that everyone involved in education in Leicester will keep up this level of dedication and focus so that we will see even more of our young people make progress that is better than the national average."
Fullhurst Community College, in Braunstone, has a Progress 8 score of +0.67 – the best in the city – and is ranked in the top 200 schools nationally for the measure.
Principal Steve Piggot said: "Our exceptional Progress 8 score demonstrates the strength of our curriculum and the dedication of our amazing staff. It shows that all groups of Fullhurst students achieve beyond national targets.
"We are extremely proud of our student progress and achievement which continues to increase year on year."