What school information is available?
There is a wide range of school data available from various sources.
The following can be very useful when choosing a school:
-
Prospectus – produced each year by the school, this contains general information about the school such as specialisms, religious affiliation, ethos and extra curricular activities and is available to parents on request.
-
Admissions Policy – a document produced each year which explains how applications will be processed and which children have priority for a place.
-
Achievement and Attainment tables (formerly performance tables or league tables) – published by the government each year as a statistical guide to how well schools are doing compared to others nationally and locally.
-
Ofsted report – published results of the schools latest government inspection usually once every 3 years.
-
Oversubscription and appeals data from previous years – reported annually by the admission authority to show how many applications were received for a school.
-
Profile – A report written by the school highlighting their achievements and progress.
Where can I find it?
The Choice Advice Service at ask knows how difficult it can be for parents to find all the information they want about schools. We have the above information and more for secondary schools in and around Wiltshire and so can answer many of the questions you may have.
Information including Prospectus, Admission Policy, Ofsted report and Profile should be available on request directly from each school. Many schools have very informative websites which include these.
School contact details are available from ask, Wiltshire Council or the phone book.
Achievement and Attainment tables are available from the DCSF website or by phoning 0800 242322.
Ofsted reports past and present can be viewed and downloaded from the Ofsted website as well as obtained from the school.
Previous year’s oversubscription and appeals data can usually be supplied by the school, the Local Authority or Choice Advice Service at ask.
The schools latest Profile can be obtained from the school or the governments’ schools finder website
How do I use the information?
Decide what information is important to you and where you might find it. Any school related questions you have are valid and can be answered whether it be by the school, LA or ask, on the phone, email or internet, so don’t be put off.
As with all decisions it is best to be aware of all the facts and consider them fully. Remember that by using just one set of figures or one persons opinion you will not get a good picture of what a school is really like.
School achievement and attainment tables
School achievement and attainment tables contain a vast amount of data including the number of qualifications pupils leave each school with, the amount of pupil absences from school and the number of children on each schools special educational needs register. Be aware that these all will have an affect on pupils and schools scores.
There are graphs to show year on year comparisons but the tables themselves can be difficult to read and query. The explanatory notes that appear with the tables give full details about what each figure is.
Each school has a Contextual Value Added (CVA) score. This is a figure around 1000 (the higher the number the better) and represents the progress made by a child between the end of primary school and end of secondary school to show the ‘value’ that the secondary school has added.
Factors such as varying starting points, number of children in the year group, number and type of qualifications taken are all taken into account and evened out.
Issues which are outside a school’s control (such as gender, mobility and levels of deprivation) are also allowed for in the calculation and it is generally agreed that CVA is a fair means of comparing schools.
Total average point score per pupil also provides a good picture of pupil’s and school’s achievements as it calculated by dividing the total points scored by each pupil in exams at the end of Yr11 by the total number of pupils entered for exams at the end of Yr11 to give an average for each pupil at a school.
You may also be interested in the % of 15 year old pupils achieving 5+A-C (GCSE and equivalent) including English and Maths. The government’s national challenge is to get all schools above 30% by the end of 2011. If a schools % is below 30 you can be sure that they will be receiving lots of money and support to improve rapidly.
Ofsted reports
Ofsted reports contain detailed information on all aspects of a schools performance. One to five (depending on size of school) inspectors will look at each schools previous reports, performance results, self evaluation plans and will sit in on lessons, speak to children, senior staff, parents and governors before making their judgments.
Ofsted judge on 38 categories in total. Inspectors report on:
-
the quality of teaching and learning including the way the school delivers the curriculum and other activities, the care, guidance and support it gives, and the way the school is led and managed
-
the extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy and ensure they stay safe
-
the extent to which learners make a positive contribution, how well they enjoy their education and develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being; and
-
the overall effectiveness of the school team including achievement, standards and the personal development and well-being of learners
It also recommends what the school should do to improve further.
You can view a summary table at the end of each report where grades 1 (for outstanding) to 4 (for inadequate) are given for 7 key points, however by reading the full report you will learn a lot more about a school, how good their provision is for children with learning difficulties or gifted pupils for instance and what progress the school are making to improve.
Bad reports/results seriously affect a schools reputation but usually spark a very speedy improvement and senior staff changes also have an affect. Bear this in mind as inspections are infrequent and much can change in a year.
Oversubscription and appeals data from previous years
Oversubscription and appeals data from previous years can show the popularity of a school and whether they sometimes have to turn down applications and have appeals. It will also tell you how far down the oversubscription criteria they have taken children from.
While nobody can foresee the actual number applying for places in any given year, if you notice that a school you want has been oversubscribed for the last few years you should check the planned admission number (PAN) for the current year.
This together with the school’s admission criteria will give you an idea of your child’s chances of being offered a place and therefore help you to make a realistic choice of school/s.
Admission Policies
Admission Policies can vary from school to school and are very helpful when your preferred school is not your designated (catchment) school.
They list the oversubscription criteria used to prioritise applicants so you can see where your child comes on this and also compare with previous years oversubscription data (as above) to assess how realistic your choice may or may not be.
Whilst being a useful guide, remember that any official statistics and reports only paint part of the picture and should be used as well as, not instead of, actually visiting the school. Factors such as a child’s individual learning needs, personality, teachers, mentors and friends will all influence your child’s achievement at secondary school so these should also be considered when choosing a school.
Check our search for secondary school web pages to view summaries of secondary school information.
Further Information
ask
08457 585072
Wiltshire Council (Local Authority), Customer Care (Admissions)
01225 713010
www.wiltshire.gov.uk/dirschool/report_search.php
Acheivement and Attainment Tables, DCSF
0800 242322
www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables
Ofsted website
www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/list
Schools finder website
www.schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk
Directgov
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/index.htm
Parents Centre
www.parentscentre.gov.uk/educationandlearning/choosingaschool/schoolperformance
