ONLY one Barnsley secondary school is rated as performing ‘well above average’ according to the latest school league tables.
The provisional data based on this year’s exam results has been released by the Department for Education ahead of the official tables due out in January.
Overall, it shows Barnsley schools are ‘below average’ for performance when compared with the national figure, but the number of pupils who left school with good GCSEs in maths and English is less than one per cent lower than the national picture.
This year’s tables look very different to those seen in previous years.
Rather than ranking schools based on the proportion of students achieving C or higher in a number of subjects, averages are taken based on a pupil’s performance throughout their entire studies. That’s then judged against the performance of other children across the country.
The idea behind the new system is that it takes into account what results pupils should be achieving based on what they achieved on leaving primary school.
Secondary schools’ performance in Barnsley used to be compared by how many students gained five GCSEs at grades A to C, including English and maths.
But now they are compared on a measure known as a ‘Progress 8’ which gives a figure scoring how well their students did in up to eight qualifications including English and maths.
From that, a figure called a ‘progress 8 score and description’ is produced which is used to compare how pupils have progressed from leaving primary school.
This year’s GCSE pupils were also the first to have their exams marked under a new ‘9 to 1’ numbered grading system for English and maths, with nine being the highest mark, five being similar to a high C or low B, and one being the lowest grade possible.
Under the new league tables, which shifts the focus from attainment to progress, it means big wins for some schools which have found themselves at the bottom of the tables in previous years.
One such example is Outwood Academy Carlton which is top of the class for its Progress 8 score with pupils said to be performing ‘well above average’ when compared with their national counterparts. It is the only school in Barnsley to achieve that rating.
Horizon Community College is considered ‘above average’ while Penistone Grammar School, Holy Trinity, Barnsley Academy and Outwood Academy Shafton scooped a rating of ‘average’.
Kirk Balk Academy, Dearne ALC and Darton College are ‘below average’ and Netherwood ALC and Springwell Special Academy are judged to be ‘well below average’, the lowest score description a school can be given.
In terms of the number of pupils who gained a good GCSE in English and maths, Penistone came top at 61 per cent. This was followed by Outwood Academy Carlton (49 per cent), Kirk Balk (43 per cent), Outwood Academy Shafton (42 per cent) and Darton College (40 per cent).
Five schools failed to score more than 40 per cent. These were Holy Trinity (39 per cent), Dearne ALC (36 per cent), Horizon Community College (33 per cent), Barnsley Academy (27 per cent), Netherwood ALC (20 per cent). No pupils achieved at good grade at Springwell Special Academy.
This is provisional data which does not include remarks. Revised data will be released in January 2018.
The tables explained - What is grade five or above in English and maths?
This is the percentage of pupils who achieved grade five or above in the 2017 reformed English and maths GCSE exams. The subjects are now graded from one (low) to nine (high). Grade five in the new score similar to a high grade C or low grade B under the old system.
What is Progress 8?
This score shows how much progress pupils made between leaving primary school and leaving secondary school, based on results in up to eight qualifications, on average, than pupils across England who got similar results on leaving primary school.
A score above zero means they made more progress and below zero means pupils made less progress. A negative score doesn’t mean no progress was made, or a school has failed, but that pupils in the school made less progress than others across England with similar results on leaving primary school. A progress description is also given, going from ‘well above average’ to ‘well below average’.
How Barnsley schools fared...
The table lists schools showing their Progress 8 score and performance category, followed by the percentage of pupils who gained a grade five or above in English and maths.
Outwood Academy Carlton, 0.52, well above average, 49 per cent;
Horizon Community College, 0.17, above average, 33 per cent;
Penistone Grammar School, 0.09, average, 61 per cent;
Holy Trinity, 0.01, average, 39 per cent;
Barnsley Academy, -0.13, average, 27 per cent;
Outwood Academy Shafton, -0.13, average, 42 per cent;
Kirk Balk Academy, -0.27, below average, 43 per cent;
The Dearne ALC,-0.35, below average, 36 per cent;
Darton College, -0.41, below average, 40 per cent;
Netherwood ALC, -0.87, well below average, 20 per cent;
Springwell Special Academy, -1.86, well below average, 0 per cent.
There is no provisional data available for Hope House School.
LINKED STORY: Barnsley's best-performing school's results rocket
