What would you think if this was your local state option

[Rosienose]

Results for GCSE Maths and English last year

English & Maths Grade 4+ 75%
Maths grade 4+ 82%
English grade 4+ 80%

English & Maths grade 7+ 17%
Maths grade 7+ 26%
English grade 7+ 29%

I think it would depend on a lot of other factors. How many are English as a second language for example?
Is the school in a highly affluent area?

Generally I would say look at the progress 8 score over the actual grades as there might be a lot of story telling behind the figures of any school.

I’d need some context about levels on entry. What’s the P8 like? But on a basic level those results are pretty good for a non-selective comp. Not that this should be your only marker. Or even the main one imho.

Grade 5+ is the usual measure - our LA average for that is 39% and the average in England is 45%. My dcs’ school gets 53%. Leafy area, comp just rated good.

Agree I'd want to look at the Progress 8 and also the breakdown by low/medium/high achievers with particular focus on the grouping that my child falls into.

If that was my local state option, I'd be ecstatic, based on knowledge of intake :)

It looks pretty similar to our (outstanding) local Comp that my kids are extremely happy at.
I can't see the exact maths and English 7-9 grades, but what you are quoting is similar to the overall grades 7-9.
Those results would put the school with a fair chance of being top comp in region.

Why are you asking?

this is from my DC school which requires improvement - she’s left with all at grades 7-9.

48% of students achieved grades 9-5 in English and Maths, and 69% achieved grades 9-4.

Progress 8 score
0.31
Attainment 8 score
49.4

My DC school progress 8 is -0.25
attainment 8 score is 45.4
45% got a 5 or above in English and maths

do you want to say any more about the school?

my DC school is a not great large comprehensive in an ordinary country town in the SW. it has a really mixed intake.

Pay for a tutor a couple of hours a week.

Huh? Why out of interest?

@Rosienose that's a good P8 score. Is this the most likely option? Are you looking for a DC to apply next autumn? If so it’s pretty good based solely on the figures. Ofc we don’t know what it is like as a school in terms of GCSE offer, pastoral care, discipline, uniform, distance from you and other factors you may want to consider.

P8 score in my DCs' old school reffed by me below is -0.16 btw.

P8 has gone up since they left, but still a negative. Anything positive is good.

Yes it’s one option (probably our only I think based on catchment) for next year. It has a sixth form, is a big school, ofsted good.

Nothing wrong with those figures.
What are you concerned about?

What is the individual progress for low, middle and high attainers? Some state schools get good progress 8 figures, but not for all types of pupils. Where I live, no schools serve high attainers well.

Sorry for being dim but where do you find that our, ask the school directly?

No, it’s all in the gov website if you drill down a bit. www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/138216/the-priory-school/secondary/results-by-pupil-characteristics?accordionstate=1

Thank you. Have now found a lot more detail. Grade 5 and above in Eng and Maths is 52%

I’d say those results would be pretty good for a comprehensive.

I’d be quite happy with those stats on the whole. Is your child a high attainer?

Where we live it would be a fairly good option. Plenty of worse schools and quite a few better.

@Rosienose , I'd be thinking my child would make a positive contribution to those results, and I'd be thinking about what I could do to make a positive contribution too.

Schools are made successful by their students as much as their students are made successful by their schools. If a school has supportive families and hard working, respectful students, it will attract good staff, which is self-reinforcing.

Love your local school, and it will love you back!

That’s interesting actually.

I just did a quick search of what I would have thought of as the five best-performing secondaries in my area (out of about a dozen) and while four of them have a better GCSE 5+ rate, in no case is it by more than about 10%.

Two have a lower P8 score, one has about the same (a very highly rated comp) and the other two are at 0.4 and 0.5, so both a fair bit better.

I would put the OP's school in the top few (obvs onl in terms of results here) in my locality.

I’m quite shocked by the comments on here. Those results look appalling to me. I would not be happy with my DS attending a school where 83% of children don’t get grade 7 English and Maths.

You do know that a 7 is equivalent to an A don’t you? what percentage would you expect out of interest?

I just googled quickly and I see that 16.7% of students gained a 7 or higher in GCSE maths in 2024.

Look at how each number compates to the local authority average and the national average.

And remember... the percentage of children who can get each grade is capped. Not everyone can get straight As (i.e. grade 7 or above).

Appalling?? Those are great results for a non selective secondary school.

I think those results are pretty top tier for a comprehensive. Where abouts on the stats page do you find the results for grade 7+? I can only see the data for 4 & 5+