WGGS' performance in the DfE league tables - impressive

[rosetta]

According to a recent email from Watford Girls, the most recent DfE Performance tables that were released last week show that the girls' GCSE performance has placed the school as the highest performing, partially selective state school in the country and in the top 3% of all schools. Also, the Progress 8 score of 0.81 places the school in the top 5% of schools in the country.

Not bad!

As a parent, I'm pretty happy.

[neo1232]

it is good but is it not cherry-pick moment

Why they are only comparing with partial selective school - why not compare with Non selective school.

[Guest55]

According to a recent email from Watford Girls, the most recent DfE Performance tables that were released last week show that the girls' GCSE performance has placed the school as the highest performing, partially selective state school in the country and in the top 3% of all schools. Also, the Progress 8 score of 0.81 places the school in the top 5% of schools in the country.

It's not that remarkable if you click on 'similar schools' and look at its profile - several GS are on the list.
https://www.compare-school-performance. ... ?phase=ks4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

133/180 were also high ability [3 low, 31 middle, several with no KS2] so a long way from a full spread of ability.

Btw Progress 8 is not really a 'score' it has a confidence interval of 0.62 to 0.99

[ToadMum]

it is good but is it not cherry-pick moment

Why they are only comparing with partial selective school - why not compare with Non selective school.

Because it is a partially-(academically)selective comprehensive school, not a non-selective one, perhaps?

Although, as Guest55 has pointed out, it's intake is more similar to that of some grammar (so in theory, fully academically selective) schools.

[Guest55]

I've just noticed the Progress 8 for disadvantaged students ...

-0.28 (-0.95 to 0.39)

This is worrying ...

[Hera]

I am very skeptical about any claims based on performance tables and generally ignore them, however I do think that Watford girls is performing well and has been somewhat misrepresented in this thread. The school only selects 45 children out of 180 based on an academic test and 18 based on a music test. It is not in the most affluent area so the distance places are not always taken up my high performing middle class kids. The school and classes are very mixed ability which is substantially different to a grammar schools which it is not. However in the same way it should not be compared to fully selective schools, it should not be compared to fully non selective schools which in the comments passed on by rosetta it is not. I have not looked at the data, however in respect of Guest55's point about disadvantaged students I think that the numbers are small ( i accept that this is somewhat surprising given the location of the school) which can skew the figures and make them less meaningful.

[loopylala]

I am very skeptical about any claims based on performance tables and generally ignore them,

I agree

There are lots of ways to measure the performance of a school and depending on the measurement you use, a different picture can be painted e.g.:

Watford Boys
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 84%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 96%

Dame Alice Owens
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 83%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 96%

Parmiters
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 83%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 94%

Watford Girls
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 81%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 89%

St Clement Danes
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 75%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 90%

Rickmansworth
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 64%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 87%

Queens
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 65%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 84%

Bushey Meads
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs - 54%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs - 80%

These results are for a cohort that entered the school some five or so years ago. By the time the next intake get their GCSE results another five or so years will have passed. Are parents confident that results won't change over 10 years?

Choose the school you think your DC will be happiest at.

[Guest55]

The school only selects 45 children out of 180 based on an academic test and 18 based on a music test. It is not in the most affluent area so the distance places are not always taken up my high performing middle class kids. The school and classes are very mixed ability which is substantially different to a grammar schools which it is not. However in the same way it should not be compared to fully selective schools, it should not be compared to fully non selective schools which in the comments passed on by rosetta it is not.

Hera - it may only select 45 but did you read the data I posted about the number of KS2 high performers? Statistically its intake is like a GS ... look at the link - this is fact, not opinion. I do not regard 15 as a small number of disadvantaged students ... the progress 8 for the 31 middle ability children is not so good either: 0.35 (-0.08 to 0.79).

[rosetta]

Statistically its intake is like a GS ... look at the link - this is fact, not opinion.

And if you click on the link, it comes fifth out of a long list of schools that are almost entirely grammar schools! Not bad for a school that is not a fully-selective school.

You can't have your cake and eat it - you want to compare it to grammar schools in terms of intake, but don't want to acknowledge that actually even if judged against full-selective schools, it is one of the best.

[rosetta]

There are lots of ways to measure the performance of a school and depending on the measurement you use, a different picture can be painted


Choose the school you think your DC will be happiest at.

Then by all means start a thread to blow the trumpet of the school your child is at!

Lots of somewhat mean-spirited posts here, attempting to discredit the school or the excellent results achieved by its pupils. As a parent, I'm very happy.

I do of course agree that parents should choose the school their children will be happiest at, as I did. Parents of boys, for example, may well find that WGGS is not the best school for their child!