What would you think if this was your local state option

They look good to me. I was horrified at how low national attainment was/is when researching schools for the first time years ago, I'm not sure if I'm naive or if we as a country are just lacking aspiration and letting our young people down, but I just think it's appalling how many children under perform and how we just don't seem to care.

I'd say they've got a high ability cohort, hence getting an A8 above average, but 'just' a good P8, as the kids aren't getting higher than their expected grades based on KS2 SATs in more than a couple of subjects on average. Could be due to putting the highest ability students into intervention for 8s and 9s or putting everything into the 5s to get 6s and 7s. Or there's a very diverse population, so there are a large number of community language GCSEs at 9, plus Grade 6+ Dance/Speech/Drama and Music done taken either inside or outside school, which brings the averages up.

I'd expect the FSM and Pupil Premium rates to be low.

I’m not sure. The highly selective local private school achieves 90% 7+ in English and maths so that’s always seen as the benchmark for paid education.

I’d always assumed the gap between the non-selective private school and best state schools was less than it appears to be.

Hmm. Our local selective private school has 70% of pupils getting a 7+ in English and maths. And it's generally considered to be one of the most academic schools locally.

Do you have a lot of extremely high achieving schools locally, to the point that you don't really have an appreciation of "normal"?

Private schools are selective by income. If you can't pay, you can't go. I can't believe you're expecting the results to be similar.

A private school by definition is selective – in that only those whose family can afford it can go there. There is a link between parental support and academic achievement and how well the child does. Not surprisingly. Chances are parents who can afford private school have also achieved well in education (hence their earning power is higher) and they also value education. That's going to be a massive boost for their children. And yes smaller classes, ability to manage out those who do not do well.

A state comp has students who have ESL, whose home lives are chaotic, who have SEN at varying levels. Students who do well to get to school each day in their uniform with a pen, never mind having a quiet spot to do their homework. Most of those students would not be attending a private school.

You just cannot compare the two.

That would count as a an exceedingly excellent school in Norfolk.

a private school whether selective or not does not have - recent migrants who don’t yet speak English, children who arrive as they’ve moved into refuge, children from families who honestly don’t value education eg move their child in Y11 (this are kids my DC have been to school with) etc

Small class sizes, can expel misbehaving pupils, supportive parents...

The local non-selective private school achieves 70% of pupils getting a 7+ in both maths and English. I assumed the best non-selective state schools would be closer in performance than they appear to be as the private school in question is not exactly known for academic excellence.

Why? Poor results aren't contagious. If your child has capacity to do well then they will do well.

Tell me you have no idea about education...

Those results are very impressive.

I was assuming it was data published (and shouted about!) directly by the school.

Edited to add: Agree those results are pretty impressive for a comp btw. The individual levels of 7 in maths are above the % in England.

I think those results are pretty top tier for a comprehensive. Where abouts on the stats page do you find the results for grade 7+? I can only see the data for 4 & 5+

Appalling?? Those are great results for a non selective secondary school.

Look at how each number compates to the local authority average and the national average.

And remember... the percentage of children who can get each grade is capped. Not everyone can get straight As (i.e. grade 7 or above).

You do know that a 7 is equivalent to an A don’t you? what percentage would you expect out of interest?

I just googled quickly and I see that 16.7% of students gained a 7 or higher in GCSE maths in 2024.

I’m quite shocked by the comments on here. Those results look appalling to me. I would not be happy with my DS attending a school where 83% of children don’t get grade 7 English and Maths.

That’s interesting actually.

I just did a quick search of what I would have thought of as the five best-performing secondaries in my area (out of about a dozen) and while four of them have a better GCSE 5+ rate, in no case is it by more than about 10%.

Two have a lower P8 score, one has about the same (a very highly rated comp) and the other two are at 0.4 and 0.5, so both a fair bit better.

I would put the OP's school in the top few (obvs onl in terms of results here) in my locality.

@Rosienose , I'd be thinking my child would make a positive contribution to those results, and I'd be thinking about what I could do to make a positive contribution too.

Schools are made successful by their students as much as their students are made successful by their schools. If a school has supportive families and hard working, respectful students, it will attract good staff, which is self-reinforcing.

Love your local school, and it will love you back!

Where we live it would be a fairly good option. Plenty of worse schools and quite a few better.

I’d be quite happy with those stats on the whole. Is your child a high attainer?

I’d say those results would be pretty good for a comprehensive.

No, it’s all in the gov website if you drill down a bit. www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/138216/the-priory-school/secondary/results-by-pupil-characteristics?accordionstate=1