26th August 2014 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Headteachers’ unions are planning to set up a new school league table which would rival the latest tables devised by the department for education. Recent changes made by the government mean that international GCSES will no longer be included in school league tables, a move which comes just a few years after schools began to include them in the curriculum. The change in policy caused dismay amongst headteachers, who believe that the move was politically motivated on the basis that it coincided with the introduction of the government’s new GCSE exams. Heads are now organising to promote a league table of their own, which would include different exams, in addition to the wider curriculum and educational experience.
The Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Head Teachers plan to join the United Learning academy chain and the PiXl educational network in creating and promoting the new league table to parents. Although the exact format has not yet been released, it is expected that the table will cover all GCSE results, extra-curricular activities including music and sport, and also provide information on class sizes and subjects offered. The tables are likely to become more popular than the department for education’s tables due to the plan to release them in time for parents to consider before selecting schools for their children. The department for education’s tables are not released until January, which is too late for parents who have to make their applications in October.
In addition to the more appropriate release date, the tables also offer another advantage to schools. The tables will include multiple qualifications other than the government’s standard GCSE, and award credit for more vocational qualifications such as Btecs. This is likely to be particularly popular with schools who would otherwise suffer from government efforts to downgrade the status of GCSE-equivalent qualifications. Those behind the new league table said that the tables would provide parents with relevant information that is not filtered based on political interests. The department for education responded to the plans by saying that they intended to make their league tables clearer, and that releasing the tables in January allowed them to ensure the accuracy of the information provided to parents.