Schools North East Logo

News

Progress 8 data release – North East

Today’s provisional 2017-18 KS4 statistics show the North East falling further behind the rest of the country at GCSE, as illustrated by the graph below (click to enlarge).*

FFT Education DataLab has previously warned that grade re-scaling would widen the gap between areas with high and low levels of disadvantage (since the move to 1-9 grades benefits higher attaining pupils) and today’s statistics appear to show an effect from this.

Analysis conducted by Schools North East also shows the relationship between Progress 8 scores and disadvantage. Click here to view our interactive graph.  Hovering over a data point displays information on the school it refers to. To create this graph we plotted today’s figures against deprivation data, using the DfE’s “Ever6” measure which shows the proportion of a school’s pupils that have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last 6 years.

The graph contains data on mainstream schools only, whereas data referred to elsewhere in this post includes both special and mainstream settings. Schools North East recognises that data alone does not always tell the full story.

Unpacking the different components of Progress 8 we see that the North East generally performs very badly on the Ebacc component, especially in Teesside, quite badly in English and Maths and reasonably well in the open slots.

The problem in the North East, as with other areas that have deep deprivation and predominantly white, disadvantaged communities, runs deeper than what happens in school.

Professor Stephen Gorard of Durham University, who studied evidence on 1.8 million pupils, found that “The most important factor that determines school test and exam results is not the quality of teaching or leadership but who they teach, the proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged through poverty, family circumstances or special educational needs and most crucially the length of time they have been disadvantaged.” This backs research by Mike Treadaway, Associate Research Fellow at FFT Education Datalab, which highlights that outcomes for White British pupils are disproportionately affected by poverty.

Last week the DfE announced Opportunity North East, a £24m programme focused predominantly on tackling disadvantage at secondary level. Schools North East strongly welcomes the announcement, which essentially creates a ‘Super Opportunity Area’ across the whole region and gives the North East the chance to take a lead in delivering change at a regional scale.

* This data does not include independent schools. The DfE doesn’t publish Progress 8 data for independent schools because the majority of pupils at independent schools do not have prior attainment data, which is needed to calculate progress. They are included in the published attainment data at key stage 4.

Similar News

07
Feb

Ofsted’s proposed report card system: A missed opportunity for real change?

Ofsted's proposed report card system risks becoming yet another missed opportunity. As the Voice,…

Read story
07
Feb

Children’s Mental Health Week: How our schools have marked this critical occasion

In today’s fast-paced world, ensuring children feel supported, heard, and empowered is more important…

Read story
07
Feb

Newcastle High School for Girls staged ambitious production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Newcastle High School for Girls (NHSG) invited the public to enjoy its spectacular new…

Read story