Average attainment 8
Attainment 8 measures the average achievement of pupils in up to 8 qualifications including English (double weighted if the combined English qualification, or both language and literature are taken), maths (double weighted), three further qualifications that count in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and three further qualifications that can be GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or any other non-GCSE qualifications on the DfE approved list.
We aim to achieve upper quartile of all Local Authorities by 2022.
February 2021 performance
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in 2020. Pupils scheduled to sit GCSE and A/AS level exams in 2020 were awarded either a centre assessment grade (based on what the school or college believed the student would most likely have achieved had exams gone ahead) or their calculated grade using a model developed by Ofqual - whichever was the higher of the two.
The GCSE grades awarded to pupils in 2020 will remain with them as they stay on in further and higher education or enter employment after leaving school. However, the cancellation of summer 2020 GCSE exams and the new method of awarding grades has led to a set of pupil attainment statistics that are unlike previous years.
Each of the pupil level attainment statistics have increased - more than would be expected in a typical year - between the 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years. This reflects the change to the way GCSE grades were awarded rather than improvements in pupil performance. As a result the 2019/20 data should not be directly compared to attainment data from previous years for the purposes of measuring changes in student performance.
Users should be cautious when comparing headline measures between years and should consult the SfR for further details:
Actions
To improve performance, all secondary schools in the county have taken specific actions to address any areas of concern such as develop action plans, share practice with other schools, become examiners. The council brokers individual support for maintained and some academy schools that are vulnerable in some way through Area Inclusion Improvement Board (AIIB).
