Parent power 2023

[ChiefButler]

I'm looking for times secondary school league tables as we are looking to move house. Would like to read on paper rather than digital. If memory serves it is December - anyone knows if it has already been published or when?

@ChiefButler Just checked and last year's Parent power was released online on Friday 3rd 2021 and paper version in the Sunday edition. Therefore, could be released this coming weekend.

It's online this Friday I think and in the paper on Sunday.

Thank you! Glad I haven't missed, will get the paper this Sunday.

@ChiefButler Parent Power 2023 came out today online with the print version following this Sunday. Enjoy.

Seems like a lot of movement this year. Or am I imagining it?

I haven't seen the list yet (will get it on Sunday in hard copy) but was really quite surprised to see FHSS named Independent School of the Year. My understanding was it's pretty unpopular and most parents only send their DD there if they don't have other options?

As regards movement, I still don't think this year's A Level results are entirely neutral post-Covid. I think we'll have to wait a year or two for things to settle down properly.

There is always a fine balance between the results, the culture of a school and the disposition of your child. I would not rely soley on a schools' positions on a results table, if you can obtain first hand knowledge from current students/parents that will give you a much better feel of a school.

FHSS rose from 91st position last year to 13th this year - absolutely phenomenal for a nurturing school that does not place everything on academics

Last year I think they did with 3 years average results 2017-2019 and double weighted a levels for ranking.

Yes, that's right. It's a shame, they should do 3 year rolling averages every year. Using just one year of results has schools jumping up and down the list from year to year, which is quite silly.

That is as because of covid and the kids not having exams. This is the first year with real exam results since 2019.

Yes, I know. They changed the calculation because of COVID. However, a three-year average is a better metric to use in the rankings. One year results move around too much.

Yes, I agree, I couldn’t figure out why they changed so much but now it makes since. It is sort of nice to see fresh results this year since it has been so long.

Does anyone know if the sole criteria for if/where a school ranks in the Times league table is their exam results? Somewhere I saw it suggested that a school has to apply to The Times to be considered but I'm not sure that's right.
I also thought I saw a complaint/comment last year that Tonbridge School didn't feature at all despite being excellent, and now it's 9th in the league table which is obviously stellar.

A share token for you:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/51064dfe-7642-11ed-b756-a5744446c41f?shareToken=f0525d21edd157d7900870ae138710fc

Thanks Emma!

They are ranked on A level and GCSE results. A levels are double-weighted.

The Woodard Group of schools which includes Lancing College rarely feature on any school lists by choice - I think the schools send in the data but I don't know.

A levels are double-weighted, probably take pinch of salt, a lot of pupils change schools when taking A levels.

Yup, exactly right. Lots of change and then double weighted, yet another way these rankings are badly compiled. Some schools see 20% of the class change in sixth form, @PreplexJ great point.

There do seem to be schools I’d expect to see missing.

Exactly- Kings Wimbledon in particular crams their sixth form with bright girls from all the girls schools nearby!

A number of schools do. Typically a sign is when there's a real step-up from GCSE results to A level results. How often do you hear, "that school is not that selective at the 11+ but gets amazing A levels"...well guess what they are doing in sixth form?! This also applies to Oxbridge percentages, when a school loads up on high achieving kids for sixth form. I would suggest looking at GCSE rankings if you are into rankings. Personally, I think there's so much more to these schools than these rankings, but I know they are popular (just like uni rankings).

Doing a 3 year average wouldn't change the fact that schools will move around in the top 50 quite dramatically each year. Honestly, most of the schools in the top 50 (with the exception of only a handful) have virtually no difference between their results (1 percentage point which is the performance of one student). The main difference between performance for most schools on any given year is the cohort and these rankings add very little information worth knowing about a school to make a decision about where to send your child.

League tables end up with educators acting in ways that are not in the best interest of their pupils-- the scandal with St Olave's Grammar school forcing children off roll illegally to try to preserve their ranking makes that clear.

www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/04/calls-for-inquiry-into-grammar-school-that-unlawfully-excluded-students

The same culling happens at private schools as a result of league table pressure.