Research:
The key metric is the Gold Standard of GCSE Grade 5+ English and Mathematics. For England, non-disadvantaged students’ outcome is 50%. Havering out-performs England by a significant 5 percentage points.
The 2019 statistics are from the government website1 (see Addendum). The benchmark is 50%.
PP = Pupil Premium this is additional funding for closing the attainment gap of disadvantaged students. A higher figure indicates a greater number of disadvantaged students in the school as it’s a per capita payment. Total PP funding for Havering’s secondary academies is £3,578,103
Coopers Coburn
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 57% PP £87,450
Sacred Heart of Mary
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 55% PP £137,889
Francis Bardsley
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 44% PP £216,440
St Edwards
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 37% PP £188,182
They tacitly blame their students by saying that “33% [of] St Edward’s students live in Barking and Dagenham (ranked fifth most deprived local authority in England).
See Pupil-Premium-Report-2020-2021-md.pdf (steds.org.uk)
Royal Liberty
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 36% PP £143,250
Harris Academy Rainham
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 35% PP £230,000 (approximately)
They arrogantly don’t give an accurate figure for their PP funding.
Abbs Cross
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 34% PP £153,340
Emerson Park
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 31% PP £218,005
Bower Park
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 29% PP £275,995
Brittons
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 29% PP £265,985
Gaynes2
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 29% PP £69,100
Hall Mead
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 28% PP £166,309
Drapers
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 23% PP £384,640
Campion
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 21% PP £67,675
Redden Court3
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 21%1 PP £157,685
“A significant proportion of students at Redden Court School (c.25%) are disadvantaged. We never use this as an excuse; rather, it adds to our moral purpose. Our school motto is: ‘Committed to Success for All’; this is something we strongly believe in – we are, therefore, committed to the success of all our disadvantaged students.”
Pupil Premium Strategy 2020/21 – Google Docs
Marshalls Park
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 18% PP £232,245
Hornchurch High2
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 17% PP £367,218
Sanders Drapers
English and Mathematics Grade 5+ Disadvantaged 7% PP £216,785
Discussion
As both the 2020 and 2021 GCSE examinations are unnoticed on government, and usually, school websites, drawing conclusions is tricky. For example there’s a new management team at Sanders Draper Academy and schools aren’t static places. Nonetheless some broad brush statements can be made.
Correlation is poor between PP funding and outcomes. St Edwards is 10th in Havering’s PP funding rankings but 4th in outcomes for disadvantaged students. Meanwhile Marshalls Park is 5th in PP funding and 15th in outcomes.
Three average schools in Havering at co-equal 9th
Bower Park’s 2018 OFSTED inspection rated the school as ‘Good’ in Bower Park’s case a third of disadvantaged students (49/147) are discounted as their outcomes are less than good.
Brittons 2019 examination results show that 30% of their cohort achieved the Gold Standard, which is virtually identical to those of disadvantaged students. So they are below the borough average for non-disadvantaged students but average for disadvantaged students.
Gaynes has a solid performance of 60% in English and Mathematics for the school5 but that isn’t translated to disadvantaged students. Their statistics are affected by the small numbers in the cohort where a single student can be disproportionate.
Addendum: Covid-19 and GCSE results
Both the 2020 and 2021 GCSE examinations were teacher assessed. It’s immediately apparent that those results aren’t used in a customary way. The government website doesn’t use them and most schools publish a summary. Why? Are these GCSE results problematic? Are they fatally flawed and a pale imitation of the real thing? This places a constraint on understanding current, 2021, outcomes for disadvantaged students.
Notes
1 GOV.UK – Find and compare schools in England (compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk)
2 These blogs were written some time ago and it was at that point I decided to review every secondary school in Havering. Gaynes School Gaynes School, the Pupil Premium and Accountability – Politics in Havering and Hornchurch High School Hornchurch High School, the Pupil Premium and Accountability – Politics in Havering
3 Ofsted: Redden Court School could be ‘outstanding’ | Romford Recorder
4 2771545 (ofsted.gov.uk) Bower Park is at Havering’s average along with Brittons and Gaynes at joint 9th out of 18.
5 All schools and colleges in Havering – GOV.UK – Find and compare schools in England (compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk) See also Achievement and Performance – Gaynes School
Politics in Havering 