League tables - something's not right here

[glaurung]

I was looking at the A level league tables released today www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16741765 here.

So there's two state grammar schools at the top, CRGS top for the 5th or sixth year in a row - wow!

Their average point score per candidate is a very impressive 1477.1 and their average point score per entry is 268.5. So their average entries per candidate must be (1477.1/268.5 = 5.5).

5.5 A levels seems rather a lot, but assuming they nearly all do gen studies + 4 other full A levels + about half doing one more then that would be about right.

How does this square with the Head's statement in the article that "Most students take three academic A-levels and general studies." Surely that's completely at odds with their results? Can someone explain it to me?

I too don't understand them either in the FT a few weeks ago St Pauls boys was the top independent school with an extraordinary 94% getting A's at A level.
Ultimately I don't think it really matters what matters is how happy your DC is at their school and if your happy with it.

At Tiffin Girls where DD1 goes, and is 12th in the table, they only take 3 "proper" A' levels plus General Studies and some take Critical Thinking. The 4th subject is dropped after AS. They have a system where some girls can take a full A' level early in year 11 or 12. Perhaps it is something like this that is skewing the results.

The CRGS website says that most students would be expected to continue their 4 AS subjects to A-level, plus general studies, which fits with what you expected. The article is wrong! I don't think the bit about 3 A-levels is a quote from the head.

I think you are right noble, it's most likely the press getting it wrong again. I'm fairly sure from what I know of the school (which isn't a huge amount) it should read most do 4 academic A levels and gen. studies.

I think this particular table measures quantity not quality - if you take 5 a levels, you score higher than if you take 3.

If you want to go on the basis of proportion of As and A*s (which might be more relevant for somethings eg Oxbridge potential) then the Telegrph table is better.

This table is useless because it is for total points awarded per candidate and givs the same points for an academic subject as it does for something the unis will ignore like General Studies. Some schools take advantage of this and enter all their pupils for GS to push their way up the tables.
The table also includes IB schools which has a very high total points score as it covers 6 subjects.
St Pauls girls and Guildford High are both shown way down in the table, but they probably in reality had two of the top scores at A*/A in the country and will have a huge number of Oxbridge places. However, because they didn't all sit GS their total points per candidate isn't as high as schools playing the system and chasing the headlines. Check out their websites for their detailed results.

My DS is currently chosing his A level choices and was specifically told not not to chose GS or Critical thinking as the universitys do notlook on them as "proper" A levels just "fillers". In fact I think the school have decided not to offer courses in those subjects.

I don't even look at BBC or Guardian tables. In reality, and as previos posters have said, the GS and Critical Thinking are just a big swiz to push their results up. I think it reflects badly on those schools that they even teach it instead of actual academic subjects. I have the same opinion of all those BTechs being counted as a squillion GCSEs and crap like buisiness studies and media studies. The BBC and Guardian tables still haven't figured out how to incorporate the IGCSE, Pre-U and IB in. That's why you get schools that send half to two thirds of their kids to Oxbridge coming waaaay down the tables.

My eldest son is at CRGS. The pupils take at least 4 academic A levels and several take more. I am not aware of any early entry but a minimum of grade A at GCSE is required for entry to that subject at A level. Last year a pair of twins took 15 A levels between them all at A/A*.
General studies is taken at either AS or A level by most students although the overseas boarders are exempt.

Re. Oxbridge they were the 4th ranked state school for Oxbridge entry for the last 3 years.