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...and London's exams success should be treated with scepticism
Warwick Mansell14 Jan 2009
IT IS understandable that ministers are trumpeting the success of London schools in the latest league tables, after they improved strongly on the published measures.
But there are ways that schools can increase their exam scores and improve their league table positions without raising the overall quality of education on offer to their pupils.
And there is evidence that institutions in London have taken some of these short-cuts, encouraged by the London Challenge scheme which was being lauded today. Probably the most prevalent tactic is schools concentrating their efforts on middle-ability pupils - widely known as "C/D borderliners".
Documents produced by the London Challenge last year - entitled "How to Succeed in GCSE maths" and in English - make clear that this group is being prioritised. The guides say that C/D borderline students should be given "booster classes", while the maths guide suggests the best teachers should be assigned to middle-ability groups. The league tables and government targets hinge on the proportion of pupils achieving at least a C in five subjects, including English and maths. London schools are pushing their resources to where they will have most effect on the figures.
A grade C is important to students. But it is not the only measure of success for them. The London Challenge documents also suggest another approach: teachers advising pupils on how to improve their GCSE coursework. Other tactics include the use of textbooks which focus on the requirements of particular GCSEs; and schools offering vocational qualifications which are counted in the league tables as worth up to four GCSEs but which often have questionable later value.
It seems likely that some of the improvement is genuine. However, schools are also "gaming" the system to hit government targets. Parents should see through the spin and treat these statistics with the scepticism they deserve.
* Warwick Mansell is author of Education by Numbers: the Tyranny of Testing (Politico's £19.99)
