Commenting on the publication of the Key Stage 4 performance
tables, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said: “It remains our view that Key
Stage 4 performance tables should not have been published this
year, given the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on
different schools and colleges.
“However, since they have been published, it is helpful that the
Department for Education has made it clear that this data should
be treated with extreme caution. Many changes have been made to
the way the data has previously been presented, including the
rebranding of the school performance website to remove references
to comparison. We would discourage anyone from making direct
comparisons between schools and colleges or comparing this year’s
data to previous years’.
“Overall results are broadly as we expected, following the policy
decision for grading to reflect a midpoint between the results of
summer 2019 and 2021. But it is extremely concerning that the
disadvantage gap has continued to grow, and is now at its highest
level since 2011/12. This is yet another example of how the
pandemic has had the biggest impact on the most disadvantaged.
“Significant investment in a coherent plan for education recovery
is badly needed if this gap is ever going to close. Instead, it
seems likely that the government is going to reduce spending on
education even further. If that is the case, our children and
young people, who made enormous sacrifices during the pandemic to
protect others, will be disadvantaged yet again.”
