ESF figures tell their own story if the critic would only listen
The anonymous letter of March 29 'A-level results need verifying' is misinformed in all respects. Last summer I left my position as a senior inspector in England with responsibility for post-16 education to join the ESF. As well as feeling reasonably well informed to comment on the letter, I want to say that I am proud of what I have found here.
First, the writer claims that the ESF and its secondary principals 'never seem to miss an opportunity to laud themselves over exam results'. The writer also seems to suggest a certain duplicity or, at best, a lack of transparency over the publication of results which are outstanding by any indicator. At A-level last year an average of 38.2 per cent of grades awarded were at the highest (grade A) level. This compares with less than 21 per cent in England and Wales and is just 3 per cent below the level achieved by the highly selective Independent Schools' Council (ISC) schools.
At the higher (A-C) grades, ESF achieves 85 per cent compared with 65 per cent in England and Wales. ESF schools do not select by academic ability, and welcome students with special educational needs. Last year, the overall pass rate at A-level was an impressive 98.5 per cent, enabling ESF students to graduate to many of the best universities in the world. In common with almost all schools in Britain, our students usually take four AS and three A-levels, although some do one extra subject at each level. Like most UK schools, we use ALIS (A-level information systems) to calculate value added from 16 to 18 years. This helps us answer the question: are our results good enough? We show that we add at least one grade and usually more above that expected as the norm in a UK school.
Each ESF school calculates average points scored and publishes all its aggregated results on the school Web site. Unlike England, we do not have to do this, nor do we believe in creating a league table of similar results. We publish because we want to inform and because we are proud of the achievements of ESF students.
At GCSE, 46 per cent of grades in ESF schools were at A* or A grade, compared with 16 per cent in England and Wales.
