The Times School Rankings

[Ivybound]

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

@WhompingWillows i still can’t find the search function. I saw the article about maths and can see that ranking but I can’t find subject specific on league tables.

@Ilikelists , it's a tag on bar at the top of the page.

I don't think you can

I’m not a parent of NLCS and I don’t have any experience of the new head, but didn’t the School A level rankings fall due to their grade inflation following TLA during covid. From memory they had the largest grade inflation in the Country and as a result, the last head had to leave?

My DD was also at one of the top 10 Indie schools mentioned and moved for 6th to a selective co-ed school and has never been happier.

League tables aren’t everything as a PP said. My DD was much happier when she was out of the single sex environment and has embraced the style of teaching at the new school which is to learn the subject, not to learn to pass the tests….

One of the comments on the league tables posted by a times reader suggested that the school league tables should be posted next to the number of pupils with Disordered eating, incidences of bullying and the number of pupils asked to be off roll to improve results….there is a point to be made there.

NLCS was top in the UK for both GCSE and IB results. The remaining girls that took Alevels was 77% A star / A - not as high as some years, but just a few percent behind the others. Some girls leave for 6th form for Westminster, Camden school for girls and some that want a less academic pace and a Co Ed environment go to UCS.

Are there a lot of eating disorders at these top league table schools?

Yes, I know of one grammar school in top 20 has this problem.

@Ivybound yes, and more at some than others.

The largest cohort for Westminster (and we are talking half a dozen or so) in the past few years have tended to be from CLSG and SPGS. Success in Oxbridge/USA college application success is a big factor in the switch.

Oh my goodness, so these schools lead children to develop eating disorders? What else goes on at these places?

@Ivybound my DD1 is in Y11 at a super selective grammar and she will be sprinting out of there after her last GCSE exam and there will be a ceremonial burning of her uniform and accoutrements. Honestly, if I’d known then what I know now, I would never have let my DD start at this school. I will preface by saying that she does have multiple SEN issues.

Take it all with a pinch of salt. It's from the Times, but others do lists and all have totally different schools on it. Plus the criteria and why some schools included and others not is odd.

Ds2's school is on it, top 10. But I already knew it was an excellent state school, results better than most private schools, and good pastoral care. So this list doesn't change anything for me.

Who makes the best league tables?

it's in a sense amazing that Wilson's, funded to the tune of £7k per pupil, was able to get better a level results than pretty all the private schools including the selective ones, but I also found such spectacular numbers to be, well, a little odd, maybe, I couldn't help but wonder if the numbers have been gamed somehow, e.g. maybe not allowing kids without exceptional GCSE's to sit A levels there, maybe disproportionately pushing kids into doing 3 a levels rather than more, maybe being extra ruthless in terms of kicking out kids with mediocre lower sixth performance?

I'm glad your DD is leaving after GCSEs, it sounds terrible. So, is it generally accepted that the top 20 schools in this list mainly produce students who suffer from several disorders?

my daughter doesn’t know of any eating disorders In her year 11, NLCS. It’s a healthy environment for the right child, girls work hard and want to do well.

@Ivybound I’m not sure if your question was aimed at me? If it was, I can confirm that my teenager has a diagnosed eating disorder - but how much of this is related to her ADHD and autism, plus other disabilities, I don’t know. My biggest piece of advice would be to choose a school where you think your child could be happy and not just based on league tables etc.

That's good to know and thanks for sharing your experience from year 11 at NLCS. I'm just confused because so many are suggesting that higher ranked schools have many students with a lot of problems. Is that not the case?

As a parent with experience of (children at or recently at) top 10 / top 20 / independent school of the year can I please beg parents to take it with a pinch of salt and really have a careful look around and see if the school will suit YOUR child. As per pp, if I knew then what I know now, I would have completely ignored these league tables (within reason - eg I wouldn’t fork over £20k pa for a school where no one had ever achieved higher than a 6 at GCSE!).

@PPLs that’s good. Mine however knows of several in the years above from y11 NLCS who do. A bit like thinking no one takes drugs or gets drunk.

it is naïve to think no girls school (in particular - it is not confined to just girls schools) has issues with eating disorders but it is particularly noticeable. The same issues apply to our local grammar which was a factor in not sending DD there.

The point is, you either have a resilient child who can take a normal level of failure/not coming first and pressure in their stride or you don’t. In that basis, really consider your own child’s personality and match the school (not league table) that fits.

Who is Vicky?

Vicky Bingham, one of the most respected heads in England

Vicky Bingham. Was at SSHS.

Yes, my DD1’s school now has one of these famous super-heads. Not a jot of difference has been made to the poor pastoral care. Anyway, the proof of the pudding will be in the Ofsted report as they had inspectors in a month ago.

I don't think they lead children to it. You will find dc with eating disorders at any secondary, I am sure. Maybe some more then others. Just like you find many of them eating tons of junk....constantly see secondary dc in our area eating chocolates etc. Now that my dd is in secondary, I see the same....loads of candy eating going on.....

In February you'll be able to download results from every school in the country and make your own list. Some parents are more interested in Progress 8 scores, others in Attainment 8 scores. I don't like the Times measure because it gives no credit to schools with a mixed ability cohort. It favours schools that are selective, either by design, or by house price.