This section of the tables shows:
Eligible pupils
The number of pupils eligible for KS3 assessment in the 2006/07 school year is shown for each school. All pupils - including those with statements of special educational needs - are eligible for assessment under the National Curriculum when they reach the end of KS3.
Most will be aged 14 by the end of the school year. Some, however, will be older or younger. This number includes all eligible pupils on the school roll at the time of the tests in May 2007 - regardless of whether or not they sat the test. For example, a pupil may have been absent, or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them.
Eligible pupils with SEN
The tables also show how many of the pupils eligible for KS3 assessment had SEN. Some of these pupils may not have taken the tests - because they were working below the level assessed by the tests, or because they were working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This will affect the school's overall results.
Level 5 or above and Level 6 or above at KS3
The tables show the percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above and Level 6 or above in the KS3 tests for English, mathematics and science. Level 5/6 is the level expected of most 14 year olds.
This percentage is based on all eligible pupils, including those who were absent at the time of the tests or unable to access them and, therefore, did not achieve a result. We include all eligible pupils in our calculations to ensure that the tables give more comprehensive information about school performance.
What a schools' attainment measures tell you
National Curriculum tests measure pupils' attainment against the levels set by the National Curriculum. They measure the extent to which pupils have the specific knowledge, skills and understanding which the National Curriculum expects pupils to have mastered by the end of Key Stage 3. The National Curriculum tests do not measure a pupil's general ability in each of the subject areas.
Measures of attainment, for example the proportion reaching Level 5 or above, show the actual results achieved by the cohort of pupils who took their KS3 tests in 2007.
However, schools' KS3 results on these measures depend to a large extent on the prior attainment of their pupils (how well they did at KS2). To compare the effectiveness of two or more secondary schools, it is best to look at their contextual value added measure, which adjust for differences in prior attainment. If you do wish to compare schools' Key Stage 3 results, bear in mind that small differences between school results are unlikely to be significant, particularly if the school's year group is small.
Percentage of pupils absent or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them
The National Curriculum assessments have been designed to make sure that as many pupils as possible can be assessed. Parents cannot withdraw their children from any part of the National Curriculum.
Some pupils were absent from school at the time the tests were taken in May 2007 (perhaps due to illness) and did not achieve a test level.
A very small number of pupils may be unable to access some, or all, of the tests, even with special arrangements. These pupils are assessed as working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This can happen if all or part of a test is not suitable for a pupil with particular special educational needs, though the tests are designed to cater for most pupils with special educational needs.
Each school's results at Level 5 or above and Level 6 or above are based on the results of all pupils at the end of KS3, including those who were absent on the day of the test or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. Because those pupils are included in the calculations but did not achieve a test level, they may disproportionately affect a school's results.
To help you take this into account, the percentage of eligible pupils who were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the test but unable to access them is shown alongside the percentage achieving Level 5 or above and Level 6 or above. The higher the percentage of those pupils, the more a school's results may have been affected by pupils with no test results.
Adjustments to the number of eligible pupils
The results for some schools have been adjusted. Some schools requested that pupils recently admitted from overseas with little or no English be discounted from the figures.
This is allowed where the pupil was admitted for the first time to an English school in the 2005/06 or 2006/07 school year from outside the United Kingdom, and their first language is not English.
The Government accepts that these pupils are unlikely to be able to show what they can do in the tests until they have improved their English language skills and are more familiar with the school curriculum in this country.
Average point score (APS)
The average point score provides a fuller picture of the KS3 achievements of pupils of all abilities. The published percentages indicate the expected levels of achievement, but the APS takes account of all eligible levels of attainment and therefore allows easier discrimination between schools, particularly those with similar percentages.
The APS is calculated by using the following formula:
(Total points for English + Total points for maths + Total points for science) / (Total number of eligible pupils for each subject) = APS
The total points for each subject are calculated by awarding each pupil a number of points and then adding the total points together. This gives you the total points for a subject.
The APS calculation does not include those pupils that were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them.
More information on the points awarded per subject per pupil can be found in the 'Point scores for tests and examination' document on this website.
Year on year comparison
The tables show how the KS3 results of pupils in each mainstream school have changed over the past four years. A bar chart shows the aggregates of the three percentages of pupils achieving Level 5 or above in the English, mathematics and science tests in each of the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The aggregate is calculated as follows:
| No. of pupils achieving L5+ in English | + | No. of pupils achieving L5+ in mathematics | + | No. of pupils achieving L5+ in science | x 100 | = | Aggregate (to the nearest whole number) |
| ------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------- | |||||
| No of eligible pupils in English | No of eligible pupils in maths | No of eligible pupils in science |
What the year on year comparison tells you
From the bar chart, you can see the history of a school's KS3 results, and whether they have stayed at the same level over time. Because each year group is made up of different pupils, with different prior attainment and other characteristics, results may fluctuate from year to year for reasons to do with the pupils rather than the school. Small fluctuations from year to year are unlikely to be significant, particularly if the school's year group is small.