I am very pleased to present the results of the 1998 Value Added pilot. This is the first time that we have published school value added measures, based on the progress made by individual pupils, and they are an important addition to the range of information already available to parents and others through the school and college performance tables.

My thanks to those schools who volunteered to participate in the pilot, willingly checked data and were prepared to act as pioneers in this important area. I hope they will find the data useful in analysing pupil performance, building on strengths and tackling any weaker areas.

I believe that basing value added measures on the performance of individual pupils is the most straightforward system for parents and others to understand and for schools to check the information.

A great deal of work has been done on value added measures in recent years, in schools and universities and by local education authorities, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and my own department. I am keen to see value added measures published nationally and for schools increasingly to use value added information in target setting and improving performance. I hope to be able to consult next Spring on the introduction of value added measures in secondary school performance tables, following evaluation of this pilot.

I am committed to reflecting the high expectations we have for all children, including those with special educational needs, in all our programmes for raising standards, including the development of value added measures.

I am looking forward to hearing your views on the pilot results and their presentation in these tables.

 
Rt Hon David Blunkett MP