National Grammar Schools Ass vs Grammar Schools Heads Ass

[zee]

It looks like independent schools get included in the tables at A-level, but not at GCSE - that might make a small difference.

Many indies opt out of GCSE tables because their pupils take IGCSE, so their percentage of pupils getting the benchmark "5 good GCSEs including maths and English" could be zero.

I think "opening out" might actually help with these scores - but isn't the number of grammar school VIth form places on offer for external students quite small (~10% of the total?)?

It may well vary between schools and around the country but at my DC's grammar, almost all the boys stay on but the sixth form year groups are only slightly larger, so, as you say, the number of external students coming in must be very small.

[Minesatea]

I may be wrong but my understanding is that it is the number of qualifications taken as well as the grades that is used to calculate VA and GCSE is compared to A level. So a child achieving 3 A grades at A level who passed 9 GCSE's will score a higher VA than a child getting the same A levels but who passed 13 GCSE's.
At my DS's GS it is common for the boys to take 12 or 13 GCSE's whereas the local comp sets a max of 10.
Doing well at GCSE thus makes it harder to get a good VA at A level as more than 4 A levels is unusual. Also General studies only counts for half a A level as far as VA is concerned, not sure why as it counts as a whole one in the rest of the table!

[pippi]

There's the "Ready Reckoner" here:
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetable ... ner_08.xls
which might be interesting (?!) if someone could figure out how to use it..