Don't want to send DS to school with 40% GCSE pass rate

The average is low because there is a limit to how many can achieve each grade. Its not a pass fail exam. Its supposed to be approximately the same ratio of each grade each year.

Our local secondary school only had 20% of pupils achieving grade 5 in both maths and English. Plus lots of behavioural problems, and a recent Ofsted “Requires Improvement” rating. So yes, we moved, and current catchment school had 73% getting grade 5.

Look at the other schools in the area - there have to be some better schools around.

Just compared it to our state school in a not great demographic and it's 81% pass rate. Really surprised at the average being 40%. That seems so low!

I don’t blame you but I wouldn’t panic just yet. The school I am hoping my child gets into has a 75% rate for a 5 in English and maths and 98% for a 4 in both. So it can be done well in non selective state schools.

Our second choice the rate for 5 in both is about 60% and the year before was 45…. However I really liked the school and its results are improving every year and it has a lot of positives. We know kids who really like it there. So it may well be by the time your child is there and doing exams the results are better.

Don’t look at the results look at the kind of children who go, whether they cause trouble etc. I live in an Indian area (I’m black married to an Indian guy) and even the worst schools here with gang and stabbing issues have 60%+ GCSE pass rates.

I know that the numbers seem low but remember that secondaries set so the kids in his class for English will be aiming for a similar grade to him. My dd was in a school which is 240 pupil entry and there were 8 sets (2x set 1, 2x set 2 etc) She was set 2 and achieved a grade 7 and 8 (literature and language) and wasn’t an anomaly in his class.

The obvious thing to do would be to encourage your son, read with him, help him with his maths and make sure he studies, does extra curricular work.
If he’s bright he’ll be one of then ones who stands out in that school.

Many children, far more than you would think start secondary school with a reading age below 8 years old. Depending on the particular catchment and feeder schools for that secondary school the cohort will be different to the one down the road. And those Grade 1-4 may well be a massive achievement for those children.

If you have a bright engaged child then they will do well too. The issue is more for middle ability students if behaviour management is lacking and are in a challenging group.

You want to look at the Progress 8 score instead.

If they’ve based that percentage on last years GCSE results, it could be because the GCSE mark scheme was higher than the previous few years, meaning less children passed than would have previously. I work in a school and we had many that didn’t pass when they should have.

The headline figures are one thing, and yes, don't look great, but more importantly is the detailed data for results for each level of attainment.
https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/112989/belper-school-and-sixth-form-centre/secondary/results-by-pupil-characteristics?accordionstate=1 as an example.

The average may be 40% but if your son is a high achiever and 80% of that cohort gets a 5+ you probably don't have much to worry about. Equally if he's a middle level and they are not making good progress then you may need to start thinking how you can support.

England average is 45%.

The exams are designed for many children to fail. And pass is a 4.

40% grade 5 in both actually isn’t that bad for a non-selective school.

GCSE grade boundaries are calculated so a fixed percentage of kids don’t get level 5. Isn’t the national rate around 50 odd percent ?

Is your son in the top half of his class ? In which case he’ll probably pass.

Why not have the mindset that your son could be one of the 40% who achieve good grades. Maybe 6,7,8 or 9.

Application closing date has been, moving house won’t make a difference now.