Lies, damned lies and skools

[Nick]

My local rag, and doubtless yours too, contains details this week of the fantastic success rates of A level students at your local schools. Near 100% in most cases I am sure.

I learnt yesterday that a government report into this phenomenon is being suppressed. FoI requests are in 

The crux is in the difference between success rates and achievement rates!!

Success rates relate to those who took the exams and passed. Achievement rates relate to those who embarked on the 2 year course but dropped out, failed at AS, were advised to leave or just got booted.

It seems that 100% success rates frequently translate (especially in small school SIxth Forms) into 25% achievement rates 

A question worth asking of skools by those of you with children of the appropriate age, I think.........

[Uncle Mort]

 

Isn't that figure already calculable from the number of pupils in the year and the number who took the exam and passed?

[Nick]

1. Two year courses
2. Schools don't release figures of those who started and those who finished
3. And certainly not in self-important press releases

One local school reports 46 successful A level pupils in about 14 subjects!! Very small (and expensive groups methinks)

Best results are from large SIxth Form COlleges (but they won't tell you that, it's a secret)

[Uncle Mort]

I bow to your superior knowledge.

I never doubted the figure are massaged. As soon as targets are set that's what happens.

[Nick]

Schools enjoy a massive premium in cash terms on 6th form students which they then use to cross subsidise the lower school. Now thay also have an incentive to get success rates. Get them in for one year, get the cash and then shed those who won't "succeed". Simples.

[Snoopy]

We realised that was going on as the numbers in the THW's various classes fell as the year progressed.

And yes the published results show only the numbers who sat the exams and the % of As,Bs,Cs etc gained in each subject. Nowhere do they say how many started the course. Only how many reached the end of it.

[Nick]

You see Uncle? BASTARDS 

[Uncle Mort]

It always seemed obvious to me that schools don't enter pupils in exams that they are certain to fail. It would ruin their scores. I'll be interested in finding the dropout rate at the sprogs school but I do believe (without boasting) that my two will do well and the smaller the class the better for them. Selfish maybe but that's how you have to be.

[Nick]

Optimum number for an A level group is 12-15. As they get smaller results decline

[Snoopy]

 THW's Geology result is testament to that. Sept 2009 there were 20 of them in it. By the time of the exam the class was down to 5 and field trips were cancelled as "uneconomic". Of the 5 1 got a B, 1 got a C and 2 got U ..... 1 failed to show up as he was in hosp recovering from an ecstasy od.

[Nick]

Still, the bastard school will enter 3 and get 100% success. Or 15% achievement 

[Uncle Mort]

How can you teach Geology without field trips? I would have been kicking up a fuss and a half.

[Snoopy]

You spend the whole term teaching the Volcano Module and use You Tube a lot.

And you can kick up all the stink you like but (1) Your child will not thank you for it (2) The School will simply cancel the course as "not viable" and (3) You will not win as once they are past 16 the school will point out that the your child is "post compulsory" and is there at the School's whim so they can say "Sorry but the student is not matching the required standard" and there is fvck all you can do about it as they have no legal responsibility to teach them anymore.
(3) is the usual way they get rid of students they don't want. Once the pupil has started the course the school/college gets the money for the year. IF THEY THEN DUMP THE KID THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY IT BACK.

[Nick]

Snoopy is correct, regrettably.

[Nick]

I called my local lyeing bastards just now and asked about their "Achievement rates". SHe gave me success rates. I explained the difference.

SHe hung up!