The measurement of secondary school performance is set to change, the government announced on 14 October 2013.
From 2016, schools will be measured in overall performance in eight subjects at GCSE, including pupil progress since KS2, rather than the current five A* to C GCSE measure.
According to the DfE website, there will be four key league table measures:
- Pupils’ progress across eight subjects. A parent will see whether pupils at a school typically achieve one grade more than expected, or one grade less
- The average grade a pupil achieves in these same ‘best eight’ subjects. This will show, for example, that pupils in a particular school average a high B grade or a low D grade in their GCSEs
- The percentage of pupils achieving a C grade in English and maths
- The proportion of pupils gaining the EBacc, which will continue in its current form.
Mark Dawe, OCR Chief Executive, said: “We welcome the announcement on reforming the accountability system for secondary schools and in particular that English and maths are recognised as important. But it is a shame that students do not get the opportunity to get two GCSEs in maths like they do in English. The new maths GCSE is twice the size of other GCSEs, and may involve at least an hour of extra teaching each week. We feel this additional effort should be recognised for students as well as for schools.
“For too long, accountability pressures have forced many schools to focus on getting their students a grade C rather than encouraging them to aim higher or indeed, helping students predicted a grade E to get a grade D instead. The measures announced are a step in the right direction, however they should be monitored for any evidence of perverse or unintended consequences.”
Further information is available on the DfE website.