Don’t judge us on exam stats (From News Shopper)

Don’t judge us on exam stats

9:37am Tuesday 4th March 2008 in

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HEADTEACHERS are urging parents not to rely on "raw statistics" to judge a school's performance.

This was after results in Key Stage 3 exams for pupils aged 11 to 14 showed schools in the boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich scored below the national average in English, maths and science.

Byron Parker, headteacher of Woolwich Polytechnic, Hutchins Road, Thamesmead, stressed the importance of looking at a school's overall achievement and other factors which may affect exam results.

Mr Parker urged parents to consider the school's Value Added score, which shows how well a school helps children progress by comparing them with other young people across the country.

And the Contextual Value Added measure (CVA) takes into account factors such as gender, mobility and deprivation in an area which may affect students' results.

Mr Parker said: "If you stick to the raw statistics, you can't get an accurate measure.

"Most people just look at the statistics on face value."

Sue Harry, headteacher of Abbey Wood School, Eynsham Drive, Abbey Wood, agrees statistics can be misleading and is puzzled at her school's below-average scores.

She said: "All the schools in Greenwich are in line with the national average of 99 to 101 CVA points.

"But the raw scores show we are rated at below average."

Woolwich Polytechnic and Abbey Wood School both scored 100.7 CVA points for key stage 2 to 3 in 2007.

Key Stage 3 exam results showed the percentage of pupils nationwide achieving the expected level of performance was 74 per cent in English, 73 per cent in science and 76 per cent in maths.

In Greenwich, the results were 67 per cent in English, 62 per cent in science and 66 per cent in maths.

The percentage of pupils achieving the expected level in Lewisham was 69 per cent in English and maths and just 59 per cent in science.

Lewisham Council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Robert Massey, said: "We will continue to focus relentlessly on driving up standards in our schools."