More Scores on the Doors - Sunday Times Parent Power Rankings 2024

-

 

 As we all know, there is more to a school than rankings! They don't show the rich cultural or sporting lives of a school or indeed differentiate between schools with selective and unselective intakes. 

 Every year, the Sunday Times produces a ranking of all the schools in the UK based on GCSE and A level performance. This year, the 2024 Sunday Times Parent Power rankings have used A level, IB and GCSE results from 2023. Top schools remain constant with a few new arrivals in the top 20 which have made for interesting results for the normal incumbents!

 1: St Paul's Girls

2: Guildford High School

3: St Paul's School 

4: North London Collegiate (ranked 1st for GCSE)

5: City of London School for Girls (ranked 10th for GCSE)

6: Tonbridge School (ranked 14th for GCSE)

=7: King's College School, Wimbledon

=7: Magdalen College School

9: Westminster School 

10: King Edward VI High School for Girls 

 

Close but no cigar..

11: Brighton College


Surprise of the year - Wycombe Abbey is out of the top ten at 17.

We've had Brandon students going on to all schools! Also enormously popular this year for our students are Eton College (34th), Radley (73rd), Wellington (27th) Downe House (80th), all of which have dropped this year in the face of new competition from highly selective day, schools with significantly larger sixth forms, and sixth form colleges (e.g. Cardiff Sixth Form College (13th).

When looking at the results, it is worth considering the nature of the admissions process; schools can also be evaluated by their 'value add' whereby their students are supported and achieve higher grades than their initial testing would suggest. Sherborne Girls (193),  and Downside (247 up from 325) are good examples of this type of school!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"My friend says that the ISEB Pretest pass mark is ... " and other myths!

-
Image
  If your child has just taken the ISEB Pre-test as part of their Eton, Winchester, Tonbridge, Charterhouse, Wellington, Cranleigh, St Paul's (continue ad infinitum, see the list here! ) then you may well be surrounded by a fog of panic and misinformation. So here we go, the top myths...  1: There is a pass mark of X... No... there really isn't. Schools use the Pre-Test as part of their application process in conjunction with school reports, references and additional information. Most schools will apply a range to the results they receive from their cohort which may be broader or narrower depending on their intake.  As a rule of thumb: a school with fast-paced teaching and highly academic focus (such as St Paul's), will take the top end of their cohort. A school with excellent support and a broader intake (e.g. Stowe), will use a wider measure.  2: So and so scored 100%... The scores of the test are not released by schools...  3: So and so took the test twice... Not in one
Read more

My favourite Irish "party piece" poem

-
Image
We had some wonderful parties when I was little. Everyone would take it in turns to entertain; to sing, to recite or to dance. You don't have to wait until Saint Patrick's Day to start this tradition in your own families and, when you do, consider something by WB Yeats. The wonderful lyricism of the language appeals to every audience and the simplicity of his visions will delight. The Lake Isle of Innisfree I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand
Read more

How can I use the ZPD theory to parent my child?

-
Image
Vygotsky developed his Zone of Proximal Development theories based on observing how groups of children learn. Children may have the raw ability to learn how to do something but they may not be able to achieve their potential without assistance from a knowledgeable person'who breaks down the task into steps which the child can master. We can call this 'scaffolding'.  Anyone who has ever studied painting or music will understand exactly what this process involves. Remember the Suzuki method? Think about the Zone of Proximal Development as having three steps:    1: Tasks which a learner CANNOT accomplish with assistance Sometimes, the task is too great for a learner. You as a parent need to step back and break the task down into small bites. Think about this; you wouldn't put a child on a racing bike for the first time and expect them to be a competant rider! Apply this to every area your child struggles with.    2: Tasks which a learner CAN accomplish with assistance.   W
Read more