Coronavirus and performance tables
In 2020, there will be no performance tables using the GCSE results, due to the way they are calculated.
WATCH: How GCSE grades are calculated
What are the GCSE league tables?
GCSE league tables, otherwise known as secondary school performance tables, compare schools using exam data. New tables are released every October based on that summer’s GCSE exam results.
Who creates them?
The data is collected by the Department for Education, and posted on their website. This data is broken down by newspapers, and published to compare performance at a regional and national level.
Why are they controversial?
Some people find the tables controversial due to the competitive element they bring to schools’ performance.
Some say it encourages gaming, leading schools to make decisions on what will improve their league-table ranking, rather than the best outcomes for students.
What data do they contain?
The tables detail the type of school (academy, free school and so on), the number of students on roll, the Progress 8 score, the percentage of students who have entered the EBacc, the percentage of students remaining in education, the percentage of students who achieved a grade five or above in English and maths, the Attainment 8 score, and the EBacc average point score.
What does this data mean?
Progress 8 gives a whole-school performance picture by comparing its students’ scores at KS2 to their scores at KS4 (only taking specific subjects into consideration). You can find out more details here.
Attainment 8 is an individual calculation that is used in the calculation of Progress 8. It involves looking at a student’s scores in eight subjects, and taking an average, but giving double weighting to certain subjects. You can read more about it here.
The EBacc refers to certain subjects that are considered to be the best combination to ensure a student will have options for further study. You can read more about the practical side to the EBacc here.
Many consider the EBacc controversial due to the exclusion of the arts. You can read more opinions on the EBacc here and here.
