School league tables could be unreliable, research shows
Schools may not be as successful as league tables suggest, following data released from Education DataLab.
The information shows that schools would be less successful if students who had left before sitting their GCSEs were taken into account in the tables.
According to the data released by the education research firm, about 20,000 secondary students left school before sitting their exams.
This suggests that if the students had remained, some schools would not have graded as high in the official league tables.
The statistics come from 2,901 state schools in England over the course of four years and shows that the biggest shift on the tables come from 62 schools in London.
At the moment, the league tables are calculated by how many pupils are registered at the school in the January of their last year.
However, students could later leave school for a number of reasons, such as being expelled or moving house, which could then make the tables inaccurate.
Read moreLatest News
11/07/2025 - 10:17
Ofsted has announced it will be holding a programme of sector engagement events in September to go alongside the final set of education inspection reforms.
10/07/2025 - 09:39
Overstretched children’s social care services has led to an alarming number of children leaving the care system and becoming homeless, not in employment or not in education, according to a report by the Education Committee.
10/07/2025 - 09:23
A new report suggests the free schools programme in England has generally had positive impacts on pupil outcomes at secondary, including GCSE and A-Level attainment and secondary school absence.
09/07/2025 - 10:38
The framework gives teachers guidance to plan high quality lessons and teach writing from reception and throughout primary school.
09/07/2025 - 10:16
A new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) finds that the Department for Education (DfE) lacks a coherent plan, suitable targets and sufficient evidence of what works as it seeks to improve teacher recruitment and retention.
