Are these awful primary results?

[Shoobidowhop]

Applying this year, this is our catchment school.

Attached the results but in summary 40% meet expected standards, 0% higher standards.

That class was tiny, 10 students, current intake is back up to 25-30. I know that less children have a bigger impact on the data.

When asked, the head referenced the small size but then said their results were in line nationally, which didn't feel right at that looks like 60%.
Also said their KS1 results in phonics were improving so the expect this to translate into higher results in future years.

I'm not fussed about a SATs factory but it did worry me. Other schools around are 70% meeting expected standards, naice area but tight catchments.

Would this worry you?

If the school had a bad patch and lots of parents pulled their children out - then those that were left are likely to be those whose parents were less aware or less able to move their children, which would be consistent with a relatively high level of disadvantage in the remaining cohort. If these children had a difficult start in their early school years they will have been playing catch up with them ever since. Given that you say the school numbers have recovered to a more normal one form entry level I don't think you can necessarily read much - or anything - into results at the top of the school just now. You'll have to focus your decision making on other things.

These sort of stats have no meaning at all when it is a very small school with small cohorts of each year. Even OfSted acknowledge that.

In some of our classes over half the children had special needs - but that half was 5 pupils. What you need to know is the value added. How well has the school helped these children to progress in relation to their abilities?

There aren't any official progress scores for this cohort, as they didn't do their SATs due to COVID.

I honestly wouldn't base my choice of school on sats tests at all. One school near me drills them for stats, gets fab results but is a joyless place to go to school.

Id honestly go on feel from looking around and taking to staff. Do the kids look happy, engaged, keen to be there.

It would put me off, in a smaller class I would expect to perform better so that much under the national average is not great.

A small Y6 cohort doesn't mean a small class - it most likely is Y5/6 but could be Y4-6.

You really can't compare to national with an intake of only 10 children. Some of those schools will have 90 kids in the year! With only 10 kids you usually end up with results which look either amazing or shocking, depending on the ability of those 10 individuals.

In a cohort of 90, the results of a handful of SEN or low ability children blend in and are balanced out but others who are above average. With a cohort of 10, there is no hiding place. A few SEN or low ability children are going to bring the percentage down dramatically. Another year, there may be no SEN and several high ability children, making the results seem phenomenal. Each child is worth such a big percentage in small schools. You really can't compare to schools where each kid is worth less than 2% each.

Depending where you are geographically, you may find you could get offered a place at the Catholic school. Post Brexit some Catholic schools have seen numbers fall considerably.

The school will have internal data about progress. You could ask a generalised question about the cohort's progress. If minutes of governors' meetings are published/available there should be discussion of progress as well as attainment.

Thanks, it's not a very diverse area so not sure about brexit changes - but last year with the low birth rate we would have got into the Catholic school. We'll have to see how we fare this year. We are absolutely heathens so not my preference but happy to explore it and will go visit soon!

Thanks for all the other comments, helpful to think of the bigger picture. Will do more digging about progress.

The year 6s were in a mixed class of about 20 pupils. So while not insanely good ratios and having to accommodate 2 year groups, you'd hope for a little more attention for them than a class of 30.