SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAGUE TABLES: Swindon is on way up

This year the town has been ranked 94th out of 150 authorities, an improvement on last year when it was placed at 109.

Swindon's average percentage of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs at A*-C grade, including English and maths, is 40.7 per cent; Swindon LEA's average point score per pupil at GCSE is 345.6 and the percentage of half-days missed due to truancy is 0.9 per cent.

Wiltshire County Council is ranked 42nd in the country, Gloucestershire is 14th, Oxfordshire at 48th and Reading at 53rd. Bristol is eighth from bottom in 142nd place.

But there are still concerns the tables do not paint a fair picture of what goes on in each individual school.

For the first time this year the DfES has released the percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

And this is being blamed for causing some schools, such as Churchfields, to slide down the tables.

Last year 46 per cent of Churchfields' students achieved at least five A* to C GCSEs placing the school as sixth in the town.

But this year the figure, taking into account results for English and maths, is just 25 per cent - meaning on results the school is the second worst performer in the town. However, taking into account the value added measure, Churchfields comes out second best.

Nationally just 45.8 per cent of students hit the benchmark.

Previously schools have been able to enter GNVQs in this category, which are equivalent to four GCSEs.

Excluding results for English and maths, seven of the town's schools have improved this year.

The percentage of students gaining five or more A* to C GCSEs, excluding English and maths, has climbed from 50.1 per cent in 2005 to 53.5 per cent this year. This means a 3.4 per cent rise in the number of Swindon students gaining five or more A* to C GCSEs is ahead of the national improvement of 2.9 per cent.

Overall, the number of pupils achieving one or more A* to G GCSE grades in Swindon schools has continued to increase to 88.1 per cent. And 97.9 per cent of 15 year olds gained at least one qualification.

But in spite of some disappointing results, Coun Garry Perkins, Swindon Council's cabinet member for children's services, is pleased to see the borough has fared better this year.

"I'm delighted the schools have made such an improvement this year," he said.

"The fact that we've jumped up the table so much is great news because it shows how much hard work the teachers and the pupils have put in.

"I think we are going to continue to see improvements over the next couple of years which will see Swindon hit well above average results."

And he has words of encouragement for the schools that did not do so well.

"Schools who have lagged behind have still improved dramatically which is also very good news and shows how much work the LEA has been doing with them," he said.

Phil Baker, Swindon branch secretary of teaching union ATL, said: "Although I understand the reasons for the inclusion of English and maths in the tables, I am concerned that schools will focus on what can get them the best league table position rather than providing a varied curriculum.

"It is vital that we do not see a narrowing of the Key Stage 4 curriculum as this would put off some students, particularly boys, from continuing in education."

But Mr Baker says league tables are not a fair way to judge a school.

"Sadly the league tables reflect the social economic make up of the intake of the schools," he said.

"In the past Churchfields has looked at how to help the less academic students who have succeeded in vocational courses. This year the rules have been changed and that's why we are seeing this drop in their results."

"I welcome the improvement in Swindon's results, which again shows the fruits of the teachers' and students' hard work," he said.

Failing the basics

NATIONALLY the tables reveal hundreds of schools are failing to make sure teenagers master basic reading, writing and maths.

At 312 state schools at least 80 per cent of pupils failed to get a C in English, maths and three other GCSE subjects. In last year's results - for any five GCSE subjects - there were only 49 such schools.

At the worst school in the country, the Temple School in Rochester, just two per cent of pupils scored five C grades including English and maths.

And four out of five pupils failed to attain the grade C maths and English standard at one school in every 10, according to the tables.

The slide is blamed on the tables now showing the proportion of pupils scoring at least five C grades in subjects which must include GCSEs in English and maths.

Across England, only 45.8 per cent of teenagers got at least five C grades in subjects including maths and English in 2006.

When results for any five GCSEs are included, 59.2 per cent of pupils across England scored five Cs or better, up from 45 per cent in 1997.

Professor Alan Smithers, from the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University said he hopes the inclusion of English and maths in the tables will force schools to re-readdress the basics.