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Here's where we share data-driven stories mined from the millions of facts held in SchoolDash Insights. To be alerted to new ones, sign up for our free monthly-ish newsletter. To make your own discoveries, click on one of the buttons below:

 

A-level adjustments

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Average A-level grades have fallen back to close to pre-pandemic norms:

Average point score per A-level entry

However, geographical disparities continue to be affected. For example, compare the North East with London in 2019:

Regional map of average point score per A-level entry in 2019

And in 2023:

Regional map of average point score per A-level entry in 2019

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Recruitment rises

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As usual for this time of year, teacher recruitment activity among secondary schools has started to pick up. Traditionally, this reaches a peak in late April or early May, but there have been many unusual developments since the pandemic, so only time will tell:

Weekly counts of teacher recruitment adverts on secondary school websites

Technician recruitment has also risen, though this is less seasonal and doesn't usually peak until the early summer:

Weekly counts of technician recruitment adverts on secondary school websites

Members can see the latest trends in these and other terms in the SchoolDash Insights Recruitment section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Ofsted obsessions and omissions

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In recent times, Ofsted reports have increasingly mentioned "community":

Mentions of community in Ofsted reports

The same had been true of "leadership" – until very recently:

Mentions of leadership in Ofsted reports

In contrast, mentions of "disadvantage" have been in long-term decline:

Mentions of disadvantage in Ofsted reports

As have references to "teaching":

Mentions of teaching in Ofsted reports

Members can see the latest trends in these and other terms in the SchoolDash Insights Ofsted section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


The unreasonable robustness of reading

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Reading ability among 11-year-olds held up well through the pandemic:

High standards in reading among 11-year-olds

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for writing:

Pupils working at greater depth in writing among 11-year-olds

Or GPS (grammar, punctuation and spelling):

High standards in grammar, punctuation and spelling among 11-year-olds

Or maths:

High standards in maths among 11-year-olds

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Employment rises

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About 20% of KS5 students go into employment destinations. This is most common in the south outside London, especially in the South West:

Regional map of KS5 employment destinations in 2023

Only a very small proportion of KS4 students go into employment destinations, though this has risen since the pandemic:

KS4 employment destinations

It is much more common in some parts of the country than in others:

Parliamentary constituency map of England showing KS4 employment destinations in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Destinations section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Attainment asymmetry

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Attainment 8 scores declined in 2023, returning to roughly pre-pandemic levels:

Average Attainment 8 scores

But the difference between GCSE performance in London and the rest of England has, if anything, become even starker:

Regional map of England showing average Attainment 8 scores in 2023

This appears to driven in part by maths performance:

Regional map of England showing average Attainment 8 scores for maths element in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Post-pandemic primary pupils

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The proportion of 11-years-olds achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths has declined to below 2017 levels:

Propotions of 11-year-olds achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths

There is also a great deal of variation around the country:

Parliamentary constituency map of England showing the proportions of 11-year-olds achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths in 2023

The proportion of 11-years-olds achieving high standards in reading, writing and maths has also declined to below 2017 levels:

Propotions of 11-year-olds achieving high standards in reading, writing and maths

And the geographical disparities here are also huge:

Parliamentary constituency map of England showing the proportions of 11-year-olds achieving high standards in reading, writing and maths in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


The apprentice

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The proportion of 16-years-olds entering apprenticeships has roughly halved in the last six years:

Propotions of 16-year-olds entering apprenticeships

In 2023, the highest proportions were in the far North West and the South West. They were very low in London:

Local authority map of England showing the proportions of 16-year-olds entering apprenticeships in 2023

The proportion of 18-years-olds entering apprenticeships has also declined since the pandemic, but much less precipitously:

Propotions of pupils taking GCSE French by year

In 2023, the highest proportions of 18-year-olds entering apprenticeships were in the North and the West Midlands. As for 16-year-olds, they were very low in London:

Local authority map of England showing the proportions of 16-year-olds entering apprenticeships in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Destinations section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Non merci

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The proportion of pupils taking GCSE Spanish has been relatively static at below 20%:

Propotions of pupils taking GCSE Spanish by year

However, the proportion taking GCSE French has been in decline and it is now about as popular as Spanish:

Propotions of pupils taking GCSE French by year

Entry rates for GCSE German have fallen even more steeply:

Propotions of pupils taking GCSE Italian by year

The proportion of pupils taking more than one langage at GCSE remains low at about 4%. They are particularly concentrated in parts of London:

Local authority map of England showing the proportions of pupils taking more than one langage at GCSE in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


A further educational divide

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Around half of KS4 students go on to sixth form (either at their secondary school or elsewhere). The highest proportions are seen in London and the lowest ones in the North East:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils progressing to sixth form at age 16 (2023 data)

Just over a third of KS4 students go on to an FE college. This is much more common on the north and west of England, and less common in London and the South East:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils progressing to further education at age 16 (2023 data)

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Destinations section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Five GCSEs good

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The proportion of pupils getting 5 or more good GCSEs declined slightly in 2023, returning to pre-pandemic levels:

Propotion of pupils obtaining 5 or more good GCSEs by year

On this measure, London remains well ahead the rest of the country:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils obtaining 5 or more good GCSEs in 2023

The same is true when looking just at English and maths GCSE results:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils obtaining standard passes in English and maths GCSE in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


Destination education

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Around 85% of KS4 students stay in education, but these proportions vary greatly across the country, with the highest numbers in London and the lowest ones in the North East:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils obtaining 5 or more good GCSEs in 2023

In contrast, only about 60% of KS5 students stay in education, but once again there is a great deal of geographical variation. Here too, the proportions are highest in London and lowest in the North East:

Regional map of England showing the proportions of pupils obtaining standard passes in English and maths GCSE in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Destinations section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


GSCE numbers

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The average number of GCSEs taken by each pupil has been in decline over recent years, particularly (but not exclusively) among disadvantaged children. As shown below, there was a step reduction in 2018 (which coincided with extensive GCSE reforms such as the introduction of a 9-1 grading scheme for most subjects), but even since then the number has continued to fall:

Average number of GCSE entries for disadvantaged pupils by year

The average number of GCSEs per pupil also varies by region, and recent changes have exacerbated disparities between London and the rest of England. To see this, compare the situation in 2019:

Regional map of England showing average number of GCSE entries for disadvantaged pupils in 2019

with that in 2023:

Regional map of England showing average number of GCSE entries for disadvantaged pupils in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


NEET handwringing

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This is our first post looking at the latest DfE destinations data for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Others will follow in the coming weeks.

The proportions of students with no known educational or employment destination have been broadly flat in recent years at 6-7% of Key Stage 4 students and 10-15% of Key Stage 5 students. (Note that these include those with unknown destinations, not just those known to be NEET.)

But they remain much higher in some parts of the country than others. For example, the regional averages for Key Stage 4 in 2023 (which corresponds to the cohort that graduated from Year 11 in 2021) show clear north-south disparities, with the highest proportions in the North East and the lowest ones in London:

Regional map of England showing proportions of Key Stage 4 students with no known educational or employment destination

The same data for Key Stage 5 show somewhat similar patterns, though in the case the East Midlands shows the lowest rate and London is middling:

Regional map of England showing proportions of Key Stage 5 students with no known educational or employment destination

Note that in both cases similar maps by local authority area or parliamentary constituency show even greater variations within each region. For example, here are the Key Stage 4 data by parliamentary constituency, showing very specific NEET hotspots around the country:

Constituency map showing proportions of Key Stage 4 students with no known educational or employment destination

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Destinations section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


 

Post-pandemic Progress

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In this and forthcoming posts, we'll be looking at selected findings from the recently released 2023 Key Stage 4 attainment and progress data – the first such school-level data release since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Progress 8 measure for disadvantaged pupils has declined in recent years and the overall trajectory does not appear to have been affected by the pandemic:

Progress 8 measure for disadvantaged pupils in 2023

Of course, the exact value can vary greatly by school:

Distribution of 2023 Progress 8 measure for disadvantaged pupils across schools

This overall decline appears to have exacerbated regional disparities, with London now even further ahead of the rest of country, at least in relative terms. Compare the regional averages in 2019:

Regional map of England of 2023 Progress 8 measure for disadvantaged pupils in 2019

with those in 2023:

Regional map of England of 2023 Progress 8 measure for disadvantaged pupils in 2023

Members can find out more about this and other trends in the SchoolDash Insights Exams section. Non-members can sign up for a free trial or write to us to find out more: [email protected].


 

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