The Oxford Mail has published an article comparing Progress 8 scores for all the secondary schools across Oxfordshire Oxfordshire secondary schools ranked best and worst | thisisoxfordshire. Progress 8 a type of ‘value-added’ measure that indicates how much a secondary school has helped pupils improve (or progress). It is measured over a five-year period from the attainment of each child at KS2 SATS compared to their performance in 8 subjects at GCSE. A score of zero means that the school’s pupils progress at a rate in line with the average rate of progression of other children across the country who achieved similar results at the end of Key Stage 2.
The reported Progress 8 score for Europa School UK is negative because the school does not have a full GCSE programme and therefore reporting our progress score is meaningless. It is also misleading and unfair because of its use to rank Secondary schools across the county and suggests that Europa School UK students have made the worst progress. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly Oxford Mail did not check the data they reported with the school because our significant negative value should have raised questions about the validity of the data.
In the academic years that these results refer to, our students in secondary year 11 (S5) took two GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics with other subjects examined using internal assessments. This was part of our transition between the use of European School and International Baccalaureate curricula and assessments as a consequence of Brexit. 89% of our S5 cohort achieved a standard pass in both English Language and Mathematics and 70% achieved a strong pass in these subjects. Our results were in the top 20% of all secondary schools and we demonstrated significant progress (90th percentile) from the KS2 SATS. We were very proud of this achievement which was on a par with the best performing Oxfordshire school. Top Oxfordshire secondary schools named in league table 2023 | Oxford Mail
From 2021, Europa School introduced the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the MYP curriculum is now fully embedded across secondary S1-S5. The MYP provides a better fit for the school’s bilingual model as well as dovetailing with our IB Diploma Programme in the sixth form. This year we have our first qualification session of MYP assessments which are level 2 qualifications equivalent to GCSEs and OFQUAL recognised. Students undertake assessments in 9 or 10 subjects: on-screen eAssessments in English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Stream Language, Individuals and Societies (History-Geography-Economics), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, a third Language, and an Interdisciplinary exam. There is a portfolio assessment in the option subjects which are Music or Art (or Physical Education (from the current S4)) and the Personal Project.
The school has already been in contact with the Oxford Mail to explain the problems of reporting progress 8 results for our school and to request that this measure will not be reported for our school in future. I have also been in contact with the Department for Education (DfE) on several occasions to address the issues of the reporting of progress 8 but some of our students do undertake a small number of GCSES (often in their home languages) and it is important for the DfE to record the results achieved and measures progress.