Making Mischief?

There's a possibility that Friday's figures on secondary schools will give people an opportunity to make mischief about our local onesecondary school. No doubt, Thursday's Free Press will gloat. Is this justified?

We know already from some of the comments under Gas Renewal Ends that those so far prepared to stick their heads above the parapet are unhappy about the recent revelation about Ysgol Brynhyfryd. The school is all but propping up the rest of Wales' secondaries in a league table obtained by the BBC. That table suggests that Brynhyfryd lies 206th out of 222 in "adding value" (or not) for its pupils.

From what I understand of it, the "value added" league table appears to compare actual GCSE results at age 16 with those predicted upon entry to the school at age 11. In other words, the school will have assessed a pupil's potential in September 2005 and compared it with GSCEs taken in May or June 2010. In Brynhyfryd's case, its "value added score" was -10.35. Compare this to the top performing in north east Wales, fourth in the list St David's High, Saltney at +15.35.

Before we all jump on a bandwagon over this, we do need to consider a few points. The first is that this league table is only one assessment of the school's performance.

• We know, for example, that Estyn inspectors rate Ysgol Brynhyfryd as "good". Estyn said, in 2009, "Ysgol Brynhyfryd is a good school with several strong features".

• At Key Stage 4 (GCSE years), Estyn rated Brynhyfryd the highest score of 1 across six indicators and 2 across the remaining three.

• We also know that GCSE results at Brynhyfryd are consistently high. Over 75 per cent of pupils achieve at least five GCSEs graded from A* to C. This is well ahead of local and national averages. When you consider the most significant GCSEs (maths, Welsh, English), the results are significantly higher than local and national averages.

• Ysgol Brynhyfryd performs better at exam time than its fee-paying neighbour, Ruthin School.

• Many pupils at Brynhyfryd move to the school's sixth form. Academically, this does particularly well, even better than at the fifth year. Indeed, readers of this Blog recently felt that it was almost doing too well and was academically élitist. This doesn't sound like a poorer performing school.

Leaving aside St Bridig's (commendably high at 32nd) because of its smaller size, borders, selection and single sex status, Estyn places Ysgol Brynhyfryd broadly on a par with Ysgol Glan Clwyd Llanelwy/St Asaph but ahead of every other secondary in the county. Interesting that all bar Denbigh High were above Brynhyfryd in the BBC "value added" table. Glan Clwyd emerged at no. 66. The two Rhyl high schools were also ahead. Glan Clwyd takes a significant slice of its catchment from Denbigh & Rhyl. Why are all these schools seemingly doing better? Estyn would suggest they're not. A cursory glance of the BBC "value added" table would suggest that generally (though not always) schools in areas of so-called "social exclusion" performed better than those areas perceived as "better off".

• Does this mean that expectations at age 11 in such schools were lower to start with?

• Does this indicate funding across Wales targeted to schools serving socially excluded areas?

• There's a well-known link between poverty and achievement and could it be that for pupils in such schools there's more scope for improvement, academically?

Here are two examples:

1. Brynhyfryd is probably only eclipsed locally by the Alun High School, Yr Wyddgrug/Mold (according to Estyn). The Alun draws from a "good" catchment, not dissimilar to Brynhyfryd's. Yet the Alun came in at 189th. No one would dare suggest on this basis that the Alun is a failing school.
2. Another is the Maelor High School, Llannerch Banna/Penley. You probably couldn’t find a stronger "middle class" catchment than the "Maelor Saesneg". It's a very strong school locally, perhaps the best performing in Wrecsam but it limped in at no. 211, bottom of the Wrecsam schools. A poor performer? Doubt it.

What we haven't seen is whether positions have worsened, improved or stayed the same. We haven't seen the results alongside other league tables. Schools tend to dislike tables (league, not times tables, though perhaps both!). Parents would probably prefer to see league tables published. As long as they're placed in context, alongside each other.

And, I guess we need to ask whether Ysgol Brynhyfryd measured expectations at age 11 correctly in the first place. Is it ever formally reassessed? (I don’t think it is).

We have to accept that Brynhyfryd's 206th is not a particularly comfortable position. But let's not get carried away with the notion that Brynhyfryd is failing in some way. There's scant evidence of that. There are issues, no doubt, and aren't there at other schools, too. But to the naysayers around Rhuthun who may be awhisperin', we have enough ammunition to support rather than denigrate our secondary school. Let's keep things in context. This result doesn't mean the school is performing badly.