How to compare secondary schools

[BunsenBulldog]

Where do people look at results and league tables across the south east? Looking as a guide to move. I looked up dept of education but at gcse I can only see English/math above 5 for example, and most independent schools dont seem to report. Theres an ISC but only indie no comps obviously, and a few schools are missing. Newspaper tables, some paint a different picture and report by London borough...

You can get more detailed information (there's an option) for state schools on the site you looked at. Independent schools all produce their own figures, with their own spin.

If you're looking at things like GCSE results, you should be aware that results tell you more about the intake than the school. Progress is likely to be a more useful measure. Although it's not normally provided by independent schools.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

Put the school in that, then scroll down to "results over time" and drill down into that section, also "results by pupil characteristics" and then in that "prior attainment" which will tell you how many low/middle/high ability children they take in.

You want to almost ignore the 80% get 5 GCSEs 9-4 but instead want to know how they will help your child, so progress 8 is a measure of this, plus how much they push middle ability children. Some schools will concentrate on getting a grade 3 up to a grade 4 leaving a grade 6 student as a grade 6.

Also you can name change (if needed) and ask about particular schools on this board too and on MN local.

Thanks @usertwice! I cant find the option, is it to download or "show" on top right.. or is it better just to look at A levels as gauge?

I'm looking for a blanket comparison of all schools in London and surrounding, not private or comp exclusively, but I'd ignore grammars...

Bear with me I'm not originally from UK! I dont get why there isnt a national standardised dataset!

@BunsenBulldog Unfortunately you won't find something that simple. at least partly because state and private usually report different measures (private don't have to report in the same way) so it's impossible to compare apples with apples. The Gov link above is as comprehensive as it gets for State.

I think you might be looking at too big a picture here. I would narrow it down to areas that you might want to live in first (ones that work for commuting, work, lifestyle, extra curricular activities, house prices etc) and then check out the schools.

It will then help you work out which independents are nearby (the great majority list their results on their websites) so you can compare it to the government website above.

I also agree with the advice that you need to consider intake. For example, in Amersham (Bucks) you have a lot children going to the two Dr Challoners grammar schools which are two of the top performing schools in the country. The alternative if you don’t pass is the Amersham School. It’s a great school. Has a progress 8 score of 0.56 which is well above average. But their grades are nowhere near as good as others because the top third of students are at the nearby grammars.

There’s no way you can fully understand these small nuances without being a bit more specific with your search area.

Progress 8 scores are actually a really good indicator of how effective a school is. I tend to look at that more than absolute GCSE results. But to complicate things, independent schools don’t have Progress 8......

@BunsenBulldog

Thanks *@usertwice*! I cant find the option, is it to download or "show" on top right.. or is it better just to look at A levels as gauge?

I'm looking for a blanket comparison of all schools in London and surrounding, not private or comp exclusively, but I'd ignore grammars...

Bear with me I'm not originally from UK! I dont get why there isnt a national standardised dataset!

Yes, you want to download data.
I totally agree with the PP - that data alone will not tell you everything you need. A very selective independent school will of course get much better results than an upper school in a grammar area. So you need to drill down a lot more - which probably involves asking very directed questions e.g. a secondary school close to us gets great triple science results - nearly all top grades. If you ask the right question, you'll find out that this is because only the top 10% of the year are allowed to take it - which might not be great news if your DC loves science but is only top 15%.

I don't think A levels necessarily help, as many schools have quite a lot of change at the beginning of Y12 with pupils moving between schools.

I think you might be looking at too big a picture here. I would narrow it down to areas that you might want to live in first (ones that work for commuting, work, lifestyle, extra curricular activities, house prices etc) and then check out the schools.

I know - but it's been too circular, DCs are 6 and 7 (different gender) and I cannot tell their ability at this stage. i want to start with secondary schools, ideally a very good comp and a couple of selective single sex independent options within 30 minutes commute by public transport. My preference is to stay zone 5/6 of London, but open to Surrey etc.

If you ask the right question, you'll find out that this is because only the top 10% of the year are allowed to take it - which might not be great news if your DC loves science but is only top 15%.

this was my home country system lol. i understand what you mean, i'm not singularly focused on grades, it's a starting point to get a feel of academic standing. I suspect all schools that show good results do that to a good extent.

So i downloaded the data and i think it's what i'm looking for... stupid question, how can i decode all the headers.. i can map them if there's a spreadsheet somewhere

for independents, i found an ISC table: www.isc.co.uk/media/6076/alevelcombined_201910171433-boys-and-girls.xlsx

i dont think all schools are on there though. Do i need to get like good schools guide or look at any particular news tables?

@Zodlebud
The Amersham School still gets 60% with 5-9 grades in English and Maths. I can assure you, many comps would die for those results! They are fantastically good for a school where around 30% of the cohort are at grammar schools.

I meant to say, op, that if you could narrow down a few areas you might find it easier to make headway. Where are you commuting to? Do you want grammars as in Bucks and Kent? Would you like the very selective schools in Guildford or what about Hertfordshire or Essex? Where would you like to live? Then look at schools.

Both work in central london. I don't know how often post WFH era, but I guess few days a week by end of year.

Not sure about grammar (younger looks like grammar material and older bloody lazy.) But if they got in... I'll move there!

Guildford is too far from London to me. I dont know a thing about hertfordshire or Essex. I'll start with the london comps so will look at them this weekend.

That blog is using third-party data that is out of date. The '2021 league table' is basically just based on Progress 8 scores from 2018. These change year on year, so use the first link that @Daniamom27 posted to find the current ones of the schools you are interested in.