GCSE stats - Gaming the system, or sensible?

[TeenTimesTwo]

If a (state comp) school is quoting its English and Maths pass rates as 'A* to C or Grades 4 to 9' would it be reasonable to assume they decided to enter some children for iGCSE instead of the new GCSE?

And if so, would you consider that they are doing the right thing by their pupils, or trying to game the system to make themselves look good?

Do iGCSEs (or early entry last year maybe?) count for league tables?

It wouldn't make them look good, except in a press release, because it wouldn't count in league tables. I entered all my students for IGCSE Maths, but I work in Alternative Provision, and we don't appear in league tables in that way.

They are probably just explaining the new system.

I suspect that local people will pay more attention to press releases and content of school's website / brochure than league tables.

Also, I think I read here that league tables need 5s not 4s due to DofE non-joined up thinking, so no school's % will match up anyway?

I would be astonished if they had entered them for IGCSE. Their headline measures would be low enough to trigger an OFSTED.

I'm thinking they may have taken the borderline pass/fail kids and entered them for iGCSE. I might be maligning them of course but they did that a few years ago...

They have no need to mention A* to C in their sentence for English and Maths, so I can't see why they would have done it. I don't believe it been included by mistake.

My school have calculated the equivilent of 5A*-C having 'converted' the English and Maths results backwards for internal comparison only.

This year is hard as there is a mix of 9-1 exams and A*-G exams so it will always be a bit of a muddle!

Loads of schools did it a couple of years ago! They won't have done it now because their headline measures would be massively hit. Really, local PR matters, but heads live or die by OFSTED and the Regional Schools Commissioner, both of whom would be in like a shot.

Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my old age

If a kid is pass/fail and passes the new GCSE then it count for the league tables. If they pass the IGCSE it's a fail for the league tables. It would make no sense to enter for IGCSE over GCSE.

The only entries that will count for the league tables this year are the 9-1 GCSEs. No IGCSE, no early entry of old GCSE.

They are possibly saying A*-C because a lot of people don't have a clue what 9-4 means.

So are iGCSEs easier?
What is the point of them? (I don't really know what they are)

English Language, English Literature and Maths are the only subjects currently receiving numeric grades. Whilst they could have used "Grades 4 to 9" for English and Maths, if looking at the pass rate for all subjects (e.g. the proportion of students achieving 5 GCSEs) they have to talk about "A* to C or Grades 4 to 9". So the simplest explanation is that the school wanted to use consistent terminology.

Well, the local paper says 9-4 for English and Maths, so I guess they are following the rules. must not be so cynical in future