Your child might not be a high achiever but that doesn?t mean that they won?t go on to achieve great things ? including stellar exam results. They just need to be exposed to the right school environment. Charlotte Phillips reports
Critics argue that an independent school?s success is all down to selection. A bright pupil, inevitably equals superb results. Pack your entrance-exam top achievers into the classrooms, point well-qualified teachers at them and five years later, sit back as the top grades roll in ? followed by the praise of gratified parents. Job done.
The Full Story
If it were that easy, thumb twiddling would become a must-have skill in headteacher recruitment ads. But, as independent schools testify, it?s a long way short of that. While elite schools are in the fortunate position of being so oversubscribed that their pupil base is dominated by the very top achievers, very many others aren?t. Value-added performance assesses the improvements made by pupils above what would be expected based on achievement and projected grades when they arrive. Earlier this year, the Independent Schools Council (ISC), the umbrella organisation for 1,200 independent schools, published a report from Durham University on just how well pupils at independents were doing. Even taking into account all the variables that can make a difference ? the fee-paying schools still manage to add well over half a GCSE grade to a pupil?s performance.
How Do They Do It"
So how do sch...