New progress measure for secondary schools
Schools outside Newark have continued to perform better than those within the town, according to the latest league tables.
Tuxford Academy was one of the best-performing in Nottinghamshire, based on a new Government measure that looks at the progress of pupils at secondary school.
It had a Progress 8 score of 0.44, which placed it fifth in the league table for the county, excluding schools in Nottingham.
Magnus Church of England Academy, Newark, was 38th with -0.37 and Newark Academy was 40th with -0.46, both below average scores.
There were 73 schools measured, 17 of which were special schools catering for children with special needs.
The headteacher at Magnus, Mrs Anna Martin, said she expected the school’s Progress 8 score to rise once its GCSE results had been validated and re-marks were taken into account.
A Progress 8 score above zero means a school’s pupils made more progress, on average, than those across England who achieved similar results at the end of primary school. A score below zero means pupils made less progress.
A negative score does not mean pupils made no progress, or the school has failed. It means they made less progress than others across England with similar results at the end of primary school.
Previously, schools were ranked on how many pupils had achieved at least GCSE grade C in five subjects, including English and maths.
Mr Dave Vernon, principal at Tuxford Academy, said: “We are incredibly proud of the students and the staff. All their hard work has paid dividends.
“The change in performance measures presented an opportunity for us to look again at our learning and development. The pupils had a fantastic year.”
Toot Hill School, Bingham was ranked tenth with a score of 0.25, which was considered above average compared to similar schools.
Minster School, Southwell, was 21st, with a score of zero, and the Dukeries Academy, Ollerton, was 27th with a score of -0.05, both of which were considered to be average.
South Nottinghamshire Academy, Radcliffe, was 36th in Nottinghamshire with a below average score of -0.32.
Sir William Robertson Academy, in Welbourn, Lincolnshire, achieved a score of -0.21, which is average.
A score of -0.5 or less, which means pupils are achieving, on average, half a grade less in their GCSEs than pupils in similar schools, would trigger an inspection from Ofsted.
'Pleased with the improvements we have seen'
Mrs Martin said the number of pupils at Magnus achieving a pass in English and maths had risen from around 40% to more than half, which she said showed the school was making progress.
“This is an invalidated data-set but it already shows we had a big leap in terms of attainment,” she said.
“Our Progress 8 score is lower than we believe it is going to be once the results have been validated and will be in line with last year’s.
“A lot of papers were re-marked and we had a lot of second marks that went up. That is not reflected (in the score).
“We are pleased with the improvements we have seen. It shows the school is on an upward trajectory.”
Speaking in August after the GCSE results were released, Newark Academy headteacher Mr Andy Seymour said many pupils had secured strong outcomes that allowed them to progress to the next phase of their education.
He said there had been a significant increase in GCSE performance, despite changes to qualifications such as a new grading system for English and maths.
Mr Seymour said: “The progress that our students made this year gives us all a sense of pride and provides a solid platform to deliver the outstanding local education this community deserves.”
The top-performing school in the county was the Outwood Academy Portland, Worksop, which achieved an above average Progress 8 score of 0.77. The lowest-ranked was The Beech Academy, Mansfield, with a score of -1.67.
Toot Hill School ranked fourth in the county based on its Attainment 8 score, another measure of how well a school has performed, scoring 55.7.
Schools get an Attainment 8 score based on how well its pupils have done in up to eight qualifications, including English, maths, sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages.
Toot Hill School was fourth out of 73 schools in Nottinghamshire, 17 of which were special schools.
Tuxford Academy was eighth with a score of 52.9; Minster School was 11th with 52.4; and South Nottinghamshire Academy was 20th with 47.
The Dukeries Academy was 34th with 42.6; Newark Academy was 40th with 40.9 and Magnus Church of England Academy was 41st with 38.7.
Mr Philip Owen, chairman of the county council’s children and young people’s committee, said: “At GCSE level, it is difficult to make comparisons with the 2016 results as syllabuses and the way grades are awarded have significantly changed.
“We will continue to monitor results as the new syllabuses and grades settle down to ensure that Nottinghamshire pupils are not losing out or being held back on academic opportunities.”
