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Secondary education

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Original poster

The Times School Rankings

116 replies

Ivybound · 01/12/2023 21:31

Does anybody think that The Times' ranking of the schools maybe does not treat the IB in a truly comparable way to A-levels? Just looking at how G&L and NLCS see such a precipitous drop in going from their GCSE ranks to A-level ranks. 1 to 19 for NLCS and 5 to 25 for G&L. Yes, I know some top students might leave the school for sixth form, but still it seems like a very large drop which you do not see at other schools like City Girls, Guildford High, or JAGS for example

OP posts:
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withbelzon · 02/12/2023 13:03

Meredusoleil · 02/12/2023 12:49

Does anyone know when the league tables of secondary schools by London Borough will be available?

If you mean all schools, not just the ones that opt in to the Times survey, it'll be February.

The Times School Rankings
BonjourCrisette · 02/12/2023 13:11

Pinkback · 02/12/2023 12:59

About 5% of the students who join SPGS come from NLCS junior, according to someone I heard.

Yes, possibly. I was talking about 6th form, but forgot they have juniors at NLCS. That's still only maybe 5 or 6 people though. But I can understand swapping at that stage just as much as at 6th form in terms of wanting a different atmosphere, tbh.

Original poster
Ivybound · 02/12/2023 13:50

Good point, so true.

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Original poster
Ivybound · 02/12/2023 17:46

I just discovered they also rank schools by IB performance. NLCS comes out #1 for the IB and also #1 for GCSE performance. Extremely impressive. And now with Vicky Bingham at the helm, how long before they are tops for A-levels as well?!

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withbelzon · 02/12/2023 19:06

GirlInterrupt · 02/12/2023 18:56

you can access some info for free from the kidify website: https://kidify.co.uk/blog/top-independent-secondary-schools-in-uk

That looks like the same info that's available for free directly from the Times, i.e. the top-level list, unfilterable by region, subject etc.

If anyone does have a subscription, and wouldn't mind posting the A Level physics rankings, I'd be interested. Even some of the best schools are struggling to get good physics teachers in the current climate, so I'm curious as to how it is impacting results.

nottinghillyummy · 02/12/2023 21:19

DibbleDooDah · 02/12/2023 11:30

My DD is very academic. She got a place at one of the consistently top 10 schools in these league tables. We were encouraged to apply there by her current school. They were absolutely right about academic fit but it just didn’t feel a good fit for everything else. We turned the place down and we were told we were utterly mad by other parents.

She ended up at a school very much seen as a “backup” by many. Think a school more about value add than league tables. They send one child a year to Oxbridge if they’re lucky.

She is on track for all 9s at GCSE, her academic needs are met but she is thriving on everything taking place outside the classroom and it is 100% the best place for her. The league tables never even cross my mind to be honest (hence my curiosity). I just look for consistency in results year on year. I was very happy that during the covid years their grades stayed almost identical to pre covid and now are actually better now we’re back to full external assessment.

I do worry about those who choose to leave somewhere like NLCS to go to SPGS. I mean, what’s the point? The difference in results is minimal. Is it simply prestige and the name?

Prestige plays a big part in this. In my area, we know a lot of parents can afford private school comfortably, so which school their DCs go to and how it ranks in the latest league table become the major talking points at tea parties!

WhompingWillows · 02/12/2023 21:39

Any more requests?

BaYandi · 02/12/2023 21:54

Yes please - the article with the best schools in the East Midlands 🙏

Karchibald · 03/12/2023 00:28

Both Haberdashers’ schools in Hertfordshire are not listed, despite their latest results being easily in the top 20-30. I wonder how many other schools also opted out from the list.

Original poster
Ivybound · 03/12/2023 05:23

Why do high achieving schools not participate?

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TWICKEN · 03/12/2023 07:40

Ivybound · 03/12/2023 05:23

Why do high achieving schools not participate?

Maybe because they don't want to look mediocre if they're ranked 34th nationally?

I find it quite interesting as they move up and down from year to year - our two local top achieving grammars swapped places this year and know many chose their schools due to last year's rankings. Which is exactly why you shouldn't choose schools like this.

withbelzon · 03/12/2023 07:53

WhompingWillows · 02/12/2023 21:39

Any more requests?

A Level physics ranking please, if possible.

WarningOfGails · 03/12/2023 08:09

It seems slightly unreliable if schools can opt out!

I would love to see the best in the SW though please if anyone has a share token?

withbelzon · 03/12/2023 08:20

WarningOfGails · 03/12/2023 08:09

It seems slightly unreliable if schools can opt out!

I would love to see the best in the SW though please if anyone has a share token?

They don't opt out, they just don't opt in! The DfE will publish the full verified results in February. These results in the Times have been voluntarily shared by schools who want to shout about them.

Not all schools want to play that game. The results are calculated based on the % of top grades relative to the whole cohort, which means that more inclusive schools that pride themselves on catering for a range of ability, will not feature highly.

This is how they are calculated:

The Times School Rankings
withbelzon · 03/12/2023 08:30

Ivybound · 03/12/2023 05:23

Why do high achieving schools not participate?

Perhaps because it is a commmercial league table, aimed at boosting the coffers of the Murdoch empire. The full results are published by the Government for free in February.

Anisette · 03/12/2023 09:18

I wouldn't ever want to make a choice based on one year's results. DD didn't get into a school that was at the time riding quite high in the rankings, mostly because at the interview she said she said it wasn't her first preference. By the year she took her GCSEs, that school's results had slipped a lot, and I calculated that if they'd taken her then her results would have pulled them up - always supposing they'd taught her well enough. I was mildly tempted to point that out to them, but refrained 😄

WhompingWillows · 03/12/2023 09:41

withbelzon · 03/12/2023 07:53

A Level physics ranking please, if possible.

Show quote history

I’m not actually sure if this is searchable?

withbelzon · 03/12/2023 09:45

WhompingWillows · 03/12/2023 09:41

I’m not actually sure if this is searchable?

Show quote history

Are the results not filterable by subject? The blurb seems to say they are.

WhompingWillows · 03/12/2023 09:52

withbelzon · 03/12/2023 09:45

Are the results not filterable by subject? The blurb seems to say they are.

Show quote history

I have already provided a share token to the search function.