Secondary School Performance Tables 2002

INTRODUCTION

These tables provide information for parents on the achievements of pupils in local secondary schools and how they compare with other schools in the area and in England as a whole.

The tables provide information on:

• the Key Stage 3 results of pupils in English, mathematics and science;
   
• the GCSE/GNVQ achievements of pupils who reached school leaving age in the 2001/2002 school year;
   
• two measures which show how much value each schools has added, based on the progress made by individual pupils from one stage of their education to another;
   
• rates of pupil absence from school both with permission and without; and
   
• background information on each school, including it's name and address and telephone number.

The information contained in these tables provides only part of the picture of each school's overall achievements. The tables should therefore be considered alongside other important sources of information such as Ofsted reports, school prospectuses, Governors' Annual Reports and other such publications. State schools - including City Technology Colleges - must provide parents with prospectuses if they ask for them. Independent schools normally do this as well.

The tables also contain measures of value added. There are two measures for each school: one related to the progress made by pupils at the end of KS3 in the 2001/2002 school year since taking their KS2 tests; while the other relates to the progress made by pupils at the end of compulsory school age since taking KS3 tests. Since the two measures are based on different groups of pupils and they are measured in different units, they cannot be combined into a single measure.

Pupils who need more specialised teaching and facilities may go to special schools. If there are any special schools in the area, they are listed in a separate section at the end of the tables.