Secondary School Performance Tables 2003

MORE INFORMATION

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

Pupils aged 5 to 16 in state schools must be taught the National Curriculum. This is divided into four 'Key Stages' that depend on children's ages.

GCSE AND GNVQ RESULTS

GCSEs

There are eight GCSE pass grades, ranging from A* to G. Students may also study for GCSE (Short Courses) in certain subjects. These are of the same academic standards as a full GCSE but have half the content, and are reported in the tables on that basis.

GNVQs

General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) are designed to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in broad vocational areas like art and design and health and social care. GNVQs have been combined with GCSEs on the basis of equivalence between the two sets of qualifications. This equivalence is shown in the tables in the Technical Annex.

There are two levels of GNVQs included in these tables - Foundation level and Intermediate level - and each one is awarded a grade of Pass, Merit or Distinction. Part One GNVQs are of the same vocational standards as a full GNVQ but have half the content.

Which students are included?

The information is based on all students in each school who were aged 15 at the start of the 2002/2003 school year, including students of that age who did not obtain GCSEs or GNVQs because they were not entered or did not pass any.

All the results achieved by 15 year olds in 2003, and in earlier years if they took GCSEs or GNVQs when they were younger than 15, are included. The results of some students who took exams early and have since moved to a different school or college have been shown against the school where they took their examinations.

Some students take their examinations late, because of illness, because they are from overseas, or for other reasons. The results of these students - aged 16 or over at the start of the 2002/2003 school year - are not shown in these columns.

The results for some schools have been adjusted. Some schools requested that students recently admitted from overseas with little or no English be discounted from the figures. This has been agreed where the student was admitted to the school in the 2001/2002 or 2002/2003 school year from outside the United Kingdom and their first language is not English. The Government accepts that these students will not do their best in examinations until they have improved their English language skills and are more familiar with the school curriculum in this country.

Some schools have had their results adjusted if they admitted a student who was permanently excluded from another school in the 2001/2002 or 2002/2003 school year. Students admitted to a maintained school following permanent exclusion from another maintained school are discounted from the figures. This is part of the Government’s policy to encourage schools to admit students permanently excluded from elsewhere so that they can continue their education.