Three schools in Cornwall are among the 10 most improved in the South West. The best schools in the region have been revealed in a ‘Fairer Schools’ index, which gives a more accurate insight into the places where teachers are truly making a difference in class.
Researchers have measured every school in the country against a series of additional performance metrics to improve on official Department for Education (DfE) league tables, and remove some of the built-in bias against secondary schools teaching children from deprived areas.
The results show the schools where teachers are beating the odds to make the greatest positive impact on pupils up to the age of 16. While none from Cornwall are in the overall top 10, three are among the 10 most improved, as you can see in the list below.
South West top ten
Henley Bank High School, Gloucestershire (13) Glenmoor Academy, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (32) Colyton Grammar School, Devon (35) Winton Academy, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (39) Brymore Academy, Somerset (54) Five Acres High School, Gloucestershire (70) Poole High School, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (72) Chulmleigh Community College, Devon (77) Uffculme School, Devon (93) Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy, Torbay (95)
South West highest climbers by Progress 8 scores
All Saints Church of England Academy, Plymouth (451) – up 1,899 places South Devon College, Torbay (1,770) – up 1,405 places Marine Academy Plymouth, Plymouth (1,065) – up 1,329 places Broadoak Academy, North Somerset (991) – up 1,177 places Cape Cornwall School, Cornwall (992) – up 1,104 places Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth (1,239) – up 1098 places Cranbrook Education Campus, Devon (474) – up 937 places Redruth School, Cornwall (802) – up 935 places Camborne Science and International Academy, Cornwall (1,254) – up 915 places Bridge Learning Campus, Bristol, City of (1,913) – up 898 places
The study highlights the dozens of schools which have climbed hundreds of places up the rankings when additional factors such as pupil demographics are taken into account.
Use this interactive tool to see how all secondary schools in Cornwall have performed (search by school name or for ‘Cornwall’ to see all schools)
For many years the Government’s method of evaluating secondary school performance, known as the Progress 8 measure, has failed to take into account factors including the number of children from poorer backgrounds at each school.
Doing so, critics say, risks hiding systemic inequalities and providing potentially misleading conclusions about school performance, with regions like the North East seeing its schools unfairly marked down because the areas they serve are not taken into account.
There are growing calls for the new Labour government to provide that crucial context and Ofsted is reported to be considering a new range of measurements for schools that will better inform parents.
The Fairer Schools Index goes some way to redress the ‘false narrative’ of a North / South divide in Government league tables. Developed by the University of Bristol, the index adjusts for variables including pupil demographics, ethnicity, and deprivation.
The results show the real difference that the best schools make rather than pretending every school has an identical intake with the same socio-economic status and background.
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