Lady Margaret Exam Results

[KingscoteStaff]

If I am reading the new league tables correctly, LMS has had a massive drop in their GCSE results (5 good inc E and M).

Is this just a blip in the way they're calculated? Was last year a particularly unusual cohort? Anyone have any ideas?

I read in the local paper last year that the head was querying lower than expected results for English and maths. Is this the amended result? Was looking at this school as a possible for DD. Does anybody know if standards have slipped?

Could this be the first cohort that come in under the less stringent entrance test?

Assuming you are talking about the school in Parsons Green, the entrance test is for banding only, it is a comprehensive school. The entrance criteria changed in terms of the way the non church places are allocated but the cohort that just took the exams would not have been affected by that. I know a few girls in younger years and they seem reasonably engaged and studious.

www.ladymargaret.lbhf.sch.uk/Resources/user/Exam%20results%202011.pdf

www.ladymargaret.lbhf.sch.uk/Resources/user/Exams%202012.pdf

From what I see:
2011
Eng Lang - 83 A*-B, 5 C, 1 D, 1 E
Eng Lit - 78 A*-B, 10 C, 1 D
Maths - 73 A*-B, 11 C, 5 D, 1 E

2012
Eng Lang - 60 A*-B, 13 C, 11 D, 2 E
Eng Lit - 68 A*-B, 11 C, 7 D
Maths - 62 A*-B, 9 C, 10 D, 5 E

So still very good results, but about 10 girls fewer performing well than last year. Not sure it is statisically meaningful really.

It's that Eng. Lang. drop of 23 that hits me - that's quite a large %age in a cohort of 90.

Drilling down further:

2011 vs 2012:
A* 13 vs 12
A 50 vs. 26
B 20 vs 22
C 5 vs 13
D 1 vs 11
E 1 vs 2

So I suppose:

The As are still As
Half the As are now Bs with a couple now Cs
The Bs last year are now either Cs or Ds

Of course not the same children taking the exams, but it's indicative.

This may be relevant:

www.ofqual.gov.uk/files/2012-11-02-gcse-english-final-report-and-appendices.pdf

Oh, it's that 'marking down' between January and June thing, isn't it?

I'd forgotten about that.

KingscoteStaff They would be far from the only outstanding comprehensive, or indeed private school to have seen deflation in their English Language results, It is certainly the case in our local outstanding comprehensives. Those results look consistent with theirs. Extent seems to have varied according to exam board.

Last years english was a notoriously " blippy" exam with the changes in grade boundaries compared to previous years and even Jan 2012 . You really can't tell if the school is worse I'don't think

Copthallresident, sorry to hijack thread, but have been reading an older thread on Secondaries this morning and was very interested in your comments, then saw you on here and it's recent! Am I able to ask what schools yours are at/went to? Hope you don't mind me asking. Have sorted DS but DD year 5 so about to start all over again, and you seem very like-minded - I can say that as you don't know me so shouldn't be too scary, I hope!! Thank you!

I will pm you

These girls were the first of the intake after Joan Olivier left. This year's results will be very informative about the direction the school is taking.