The banding scores of secondary schools in Caerphilly County Borough have been revealed by the BBC after a Freedom of Information request.
Band 1 schools of Newbridge School, Oakdale Comprehensive and Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni scored 12.5, 15 and 16 respectively. The best score was a possible 11 and the worst 44.
Band 5 school Lewis Girls’ Comprehensive School scored 40.5.
The release of the scoring will further highlight the criticism from teaching unions and opposition politicians that banding is nothing more than a league table with a different name.
South Wales East AM Lindsay Whittle has said the similarity to league tables would have damaging results and that teachers, unions and parents had raised concerns.
He said: “I am very concerned that many schools and the pupils that go to them, will suffer as a result of the banding system. What is essentially being created is league tables for each area of Wales.
“This can lead to a spiral of decline with a negative impact on the morale of pupils, parents and teachers. Labour wants to name and shame schools that are considered to be underperforming. This will not improve them but will just create a stigma around them. Banding sets schools against each other, based on little criteria, and doesn’t tell parents anything they don’t already know.”
He added that the Labour Education Minister Leighton Andrews had failed to explain how he intends to help schools in the lowest bands improve their performance.
Plaid Cymru has said it wants to see a system of constructive feedback, where parents receive annual reports on the performance of their child’s school.
The banding system, which is to be rolled out to primary schools later this year, is based on a rating on four different categories.
- The percentage of pupils achieving five A* to Cs at GCSE including English or Welsh and mathematics
- The best eight GCSEs of pupils
- The performance of pupils at GCSE in English or Welsh and mathematics
- Attendance
Within each group, a school’s score is weighted to account for the number of pupils eligible for free school meals. The system also takes into account a school’s progress over time.
Schools are scored on 12 separate measures in total, to provide an overall result, although two of the measures only count for half a point score.
The lowest scores represent the best performance. The best possible score was 11 and the worst possible score 44.
The Welsh Government has recently announced that it will not scrap plans to extend the banding system to primary schools.
Teaching unions have branded the new system league table in all but name.
Banding and scoring of Caerphilly County Borough’s schools
Band 1
Newbridge School – 12.5
Oakdale Comprehensive – 15
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni – 16
Band 2
St Martin’s School – 24
Band 3
Cwmcarn High School – 26
Heolddu Comprehensive School – 27.53
Rhymney Comprehensive School – 28
Pontllanfraith Comprehensive – 30
Band 4
Blackwood Comprehensive School – 33
Lewis School Pengam – 34
Bedwas High School – 36
Band 5
St Cenydd School – 37.5
Risca Community Comprehensive – 40
Lewis Girls’ Comprehensive School – 40.5
Is this a measure of how Comprehensive Schools have failed pupils?. When I was in school years ago, Lewis School Pengam was one of the best in south Wales, now its Band 4 down among the old Secondary Modern Schools.