How to read the tables

This section explains how to read the information in the tables.

School Particulars

The tables give the following details for each school:

• address and telephone number;
• whether the school has a Charter Mark (if so, the symbol will be shown);
• what type of school it is (community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided or foundation ); and
• the main age range.

Background information

The data provided under 'Background information' gives further information about the school which you might find useful:

• the total number of pupils of all ages (including nursery pupils) on the school register on 21 January 1999;
• the number of pupils at the school who reached the age of 11 during the school year. This number should normally be the same or nearly the same as the number of eligible pupils. If there is a big difference you may want to ask the school's headteacher for further information;
• the total number of pupils of all ages with statements of special educational needs (SEN). These statements describe any learning difficulties which pupils have, and specify the extra help or equipment which they need. Around 3% of school pupils nationally have statements;
• the total number of pupils of all ages with special educational needs, but without statements. These are other pupils registered as having special educational needs but whose schools meet the pupils' needs without a statement.

Performance Information (Key Stage 2 Test Results)

Eligible pupils

The number of pupils eligible for Key Stage 2 assessment in the 1998/1999 school year is shown for each school.

All pupils - including those with special educational needs - are eligible for assessment under the National Curriculum when they reach the end of Key Stage 2. Most will be aged 11 by the end of the school year. But some will be younger or older. This number includes all eligible pupils on the school roll at the time of the tests in May 1999 - regardless of whether or not they sat the test (for example because a pupil was absent or disapplied)

Eligible pupils with SEN

This year, for the first time, the tables also show how many of the pupils eligible for the Key Stage 2 assessments had statements of special educational needs (SEN). Some of these pupils may not have taken the tests - because they were working at a level below that assessed by the tests (level 3), or because they were disapplied. This will affect the school's overall results.

The results

The tables show the percentage of eligible pupils who achieved Level 4 or above in the English, mathematics and science tests.

Level 4 is the level of achievement expected of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. It is not an average in the sense that half the pupils should be above Level 4 and half should be below it.

Absent pupils

Some pupils were absent from school at the time some or all of the tests were taken in May 1999 - perhaps due to illness - and did not achieve a test level.

Disapplied pupils

The National Curriculum assessments have been designed to make sure that as many children as possible can be assessed. Parents cannot withdraw their children from any part of the National Curriculum. There may, howewer, be a very small number of pupils who are unable to take part in some or all of the assessment arrangements, even allowing for the full range of special arrangements that can be made. Usually this only happens if all or part of the National Curriculum is not suitable for a pupil because he or she has certain special educational needs. The assessments are designed to cater for most pupils with special educational needs.

Percentage of pupils absent or disapplied

Each school's results as set out in the tables are based on the achievements of all its eligible pupils, including any absent or disapplied pupils. The school's results may have been affected by eligible pupils who were absent or disapplied, because those pupils are included in the calculations but they did not achieve a result. To help you take this into account the percentage of eligible pupils who were absent or disapplied is shown alongside the percentage achieving Level 4 or above. The higher the percentage absent or disapplied, the more the school's results may have been affected by pupils with no test results.

Improvement Measure

The 1999 tables also show, for the first time, each school's results from previous years - from this you can see how pupils' achievements have changed over the past four years. The measure shows, nationally and for each school and LEA, for the years 1996 to 1999, the sum (aggregate) of the three percentages of pupils achieving Level 4 or above in the English, mathematics and science tests.

Symbols

In some places one of the following symbols may be shown instead of results:

< means that the school had 10 or fewer eligible pupils on roll at the time of the 1999 tests. No results are shown for these schools, because of the risk of individual pupils' results being identified;

+ means that the results are not available for reasons beyond the school's control;

X means that the school failed to provide the information.

NA means that the improvement measure aggregate for the year in question is not appropriate for publication (i.e. no results were published for one or more subjects, the school had 10 or fewer eligible pupils in the year in question, or the school has 10 or fewer eligible pupils in 1999.

Local and national averages

The top of each LEA page shows:

• the average figures for all state schools (including special schools) in each local education authority area; and
• the average figures for all state schools (including special schools) in England.

You may wish to compare the results of individual schools with these local and national averages.

How the tables were compiled

School details, test results and background information were checked with or provided by schools during September and October 1999.

If a school did not confirm that it had checked the test results, the letter R appears after the age range of the school.

If the school did not confirm that it had checked the background information, the letter B appears after the age range of the school.

The national (England) and local education authority figures published in these tables differ slightly from those announced by the Department in the October 1999 Autumn Package of Pupil Performance Information, and in the October 1999 Statistical First Release. This is because the figures were compiled in a slightly different way - for example, the treatment of the results of pupils in special schools varies in each publication.