2012 bandings for Caerphilly County Borough Schools

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni and Oakdale Comprehensive have kept their top banding status, accroding to the latest ratings from the Welsh Government.

Blackwood Comprehensive School rises from Band 4 to Band 2, while St Martin’s School falls from Band 2 to Band 5.

Banding of secondary schools, introduced for the first time last year, uses the performance of them to group them into one of five bands – from Band 1, schools which are performing well, to Band 5 schools which need to improve.

Information about how well 15 to 16-year-olds have performed in examinations, and information about their level of attendance is used to band schools.

The Welsh Government says it also takes into account the level of poverty of pupils in the school, as this can have an impact on what the school can achieve.

Four groups of data are used to calculate the relative performance of schools.

• 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

Critics have said the banding systems gives a misleading and confused picture of school standards because of wide-ranging changes in bandings by some schools.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has defended the system and told BBC Wales: “The advantage of our banding system over crude league tables – which is what the Conservatives seem to want – is that it takes into account a range of data and gives a rounded perspective on schools and allows local authorities and others to target support.

“The data is very sophisticated and is a much better system than exists in England where the schools are ranked in a league table form and no account is taken over the challenges facing different schools in deprived communities for example.

“[In England] you have simply a scoring system that doesn’t pick up schools that are coasting.

“I understand that teaching unions don’t like the use of data but I think parents welcome the use of data to understand how schools really are performing.

“We’re determined to drive up performance in schools in Wales and the results that we can see… of what’s happened, particularly to schools in Bands 4 and 5, is that performance is going up.”

Banding of Caerphilly County Borough’s schools
Band 1
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni – 16 – Last year’s banding: Band 1
Oakdale Comprehensive – 17.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 1

Band 2
Blackwood Comprehensive School – 20.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 4
Newbridge School – 23.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 1

Band 3
Pontllanfraith Comprehensive – 24.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 3
Risca Community Comprehensive – 29 – Last year’s banding: Band 5
Rhymney Comprehensive School – 30 – Last year’s banding: Band 3

Band 4
Cwmcarn High School – 31.5– Last year’s banding: Band 3
Lewis School Pengam – 32.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 4
Bedwas High School – 33.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 4
Heolddu Comprehensive School – 33.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 3
Lewis Girls’ Comprehensive School – 35 – Last year’s banding: Band 5
St Cenydd School – 36.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 5
Band 5
St Martin’s School – 38.5 – Last year’s banding: Band 2

Raising School Standards