Jewish schools continue to perform well on a national level in their A-Level and GCSE results, according to the government’s latest round of school league tables.
The results, which were released last week, were based on 2015 national exam results, and show that all mainstream Jewish schools are out-performing national averages.
At A-Level, while the national average score per A-Level student – based on a combination of the number of exams sat and the grades achieved – was 678.8, the community’s nine secondary schools who sat A-Levels received an average of 822.
In top position was JFS in Kenton, the largest Jewish school in Europe. The school had an average point score per A-Level student of 856.1, with 27 per cent of its pupils achieving a top grade – that is, AAB or higher in at least two university-approved subjects.
JFS’ high-achieving sixth formers have already smashed records this year, with an unprecedented number of students – 21 in total – being offered places to study at Oxbridge in September.
Following behind JFS was King David Liverpool, which received an average point score per student of 850 and saw 12 per cent of its students achieve a top grade.
At GCSE, while the UK’s number of pupils gaining at least five GCSEs between grades A* to C, including maths and English, sat at 56.6 per cent, the community’s leading seven state-aided secondary schools had an average 81 per cent of their students achieve the same.
Upholding its position from last year, the top performing school was King David Manchester, with 89 per cent of its students achieving five or more GCSEs, including English and maths, at grade C or above. Both the school’s junior and senior departments continue to impress on a national level, consistently appearing on the government’s shortlist of top-performing state schools.
Also high-ranking was JCoSS in Barnet – in its very first year of receiving GCSE results - and therefore appearing in the national league tables - since it opened in 2010. The school saw 81 per cent of its students attain at least five A* to C grades in subjects including English and maths. It also held a high value-added score of 1030.8.
“We are delighted to take our place amongst other high-achieving Jewish schools with our very first full set of GCSE results, which put us within the top seven per cent of all schools nationally, including selective schools,” said JCoSS head Patrick Moriarty. “We are proud of our combination of academic excellence and rapid progress for all, and proud too to have justified the faith put in us by the parents and students of our pioneering cohorts.”
The value-added mark, listed in our table and given to all state-aided schools, indicates how far above expectations pupils have performed, considering their ability on entry. It is calculated by measuring the progress made by pupils from the end of key stage two to key stage four. Scores above 1000 represent schools were pupils made more progress than the national average, while marks below 1000 represent less progress.
Also shown on our GCSE table is the percentage of students achieving the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a measure of how many pupils secured a C grade or above across a range of academic subjects, including English, maths, geography or history, sciences and a language.
However, it should be noted that this measure does not account for schools who sat International GCSEs, which carry a mark of zero on the national league tables. The government’s decision to omit IGCSEs and other international alternatives from its rankings has been a consistent source of frustration for many independent and private schools in particular, including Immanuel College in Bushey, who are not fully represented on the performance tables.
For this reason, many schools have expressed their relief that this will be the final year that schools will be judged alone on the basis of their raw GCSE results, and instead next year will be assessed by "Progress 8". This will measure the progress of pupils across eight subjects from primary school to year 11.
