Private schools achieve greater A-level success

[Catseye]

Average point score per A level entryLink to help information 258.9
Average point score per A level entry expressed as a gradeLink to help information A-
Average point score per A level student (full-time equivalent)Link to help information 1010.8
% of A level students achieving at least 3 A levels at A*-E Link to help information 98%
% of A level students achieving at least 2 A levels at A*-ELink to help information 100%
% of A level students achieving AAB or higher in at least 2 facilitating subjectsLink to help information 53%
A level Progress

Value Added scoreLink to help information 0.18
Lower confidence limitLink to help information 0.09
Upper confidence limitLink to help information 0.28
Number of A level entriesLink to help information 331



could someone explain this data w.r.t my sons' school in plain English how does it compare with other schools/sixth forms

what does VA of 0.18 mean?

[shootmenow]

On another thread G55 made a highly pertinent point: in many independent schools parents pay for exam entries, which allows the school to discount those that don't make the grade as 'private entries'.

I have NEVER been billed for my DC's exams and have never heard of ANYONE being a private entry so their result can be discarded. This may be a reflection of the fact that my DC's are at super high achieving indies where A* is the expectation. I do know of one well regarded indie (but not top tier) that trumpeted that no GCSE grades had been below C while we knew a DC in that year who had got a D.

[KB]

Catseye - does this help at all?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/le ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a link near the bottom of the page to compare specific schools

[Catseye]

thanks KB , but I'm not so interested in league positions as such, because they are mostly input=output, what I would really like to know is how does 0.2 of VA translate into something tangible i.e how does it translate into added value expressed as an A level grade?

[Guest55]

I would say it's pretty meaningless because the confidence interval is so large ...

[Catseye]

I would say it's pretty meaningless because the confidence interval is so large ...

I am no statistician, only did Maths to A and S level 32yrs ago !! but why does the DofE put out such meaningless stats .

How are ordinary parents to make sense of this data ? supposedly it is put out there, to help hapless parents like myself -and I am not blowing my trumpet but if I cannot make head nor tail of it , how are parents with a lesser education expected to make an informed decision for their children?

[indiemom]

Catseye - does this help at all?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/le ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a link near the bottom of the page to compare specific schools

If we go by this league table then QE boys is at 27th rank and Westminster and Hampton are next to each other at 34th and 35th place !!!

Is the point based system a true representation of the academic achievement ranking of the schools in UK ?

[KB]

Depends how you define academic achievement ranking to start with...

I guess it's a question of gathering as much information as possible then deciding which if any is relevant to your own decision.

In terms of trying to achieve some kind of absolute national ranking I'm not convinced it is either possible nor of any use. The important question is how good a job do they do for each child and how do you measure or compare that?

[Catseye]

KB and g55 I took your good advise and contacted the school, e-mail correspondence somewhat adulterated to protect anonymity for both parties.

Dear Sir or Madam,
I, Catseye, the parent of ****** ******, in Year 5, would appreciate some feedback regarding the following, if possible.
On your website, I have noticed that the school claims it adds, on average, a half a grade at A Levels. Could you please explain what a half a grade equates to? For example, does it mean, that on average, based on prior attainment,for a given student, that would be reasonably expected to achieve BBBB, would, on the balance of probability, be reasonably expected to attain AABB?
I have noticed, on the statistics provided by the Dept. of Education, that the VA stated is 0.18- 0.2. Please could you explain how this relates to a tangible measure, such as the added percentage at A Level grade?
What methodology does the ******** School use, e.g.. A.L.I.S. or some other methodology? If some other methodology is used, could you please expand?
Yours faithfully,
Catseye

reply

Dear Catseye
Thanks for getting in touch.
The basic answer to your question is that:
- On their first day in the lower Sixth, ******* students sit the computer test called ALIS (A-Level information system). This gives us forecasts of their A Level results, based on the ability shown in their test answers;

- Our published value-added figure is based on comparing their actual results with these forecasts. Typically, ******** students get more than half a grade more than the results of the test would imply. Thus, a student at ******** doing 3 A-Levels would on average do 2 grades better than if studying elsewhere (e.g. AAB rather than BBB). This makes a big difference in terms of university entrance;

- As we understand it, the Government figures are based on comparing GCSE results with A Level results. Whilst you will have seen that ****** does well on such measures, we don’t use it because it disguises the fact that our GCSE results already involve lots of value-added, so comparing A-Level results with GCSE ignores the work *** ***** has already done earlier on.
I hope that helps you.
******* ********
Deputy Head (Academic)
The ******* School

so yes, they using ALIS, am I being hoodwinked?

[Catseye]

I should add" hookwinked "is a little strong, the school is generally very open and transperant, and I trust all the staff members to give an honest opinion, and I can vouch for the value added it provides at GCSE

if true ,is 1/2 a grade worth 30k over 2 yrs?? although I admit the investment I have put in thus far, has been worth every penny imho.