Commenting on the government’s decisions over school
performance tables in 2021/22, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of
the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“It is absolutely nonsensical to publish secondary school and
college performance tables next year given the greatly differing
extent to which pupils’ learning has been affected by the
pandemic and may well continue to be impacted next academic year.
It is impossible to make meaningful comparisons of performance
across such a disrupted landscape and publishing data which may
be heavily affected by circumstances could damage schools and
colleges which have been hit hardest by the effects of Covid.
“We are relieved that sanity has at least prevailed in respect of
the decision not to publish performance data about primary
schools next year, although we have questions about exactly how
the information gathered by the government will be used.
“However, the artificial distinction used to justify the
publication of data for secondary schools and colleges makes no
sense whatsoever and is the last thing that they need after
battling over the course of an academic year to keep children in
school and minimise disruption.
“It is yet another decision which suggests a lack of
understanding in the corridors of Whitehall about the reality of
life on the educational front line.”
