Are state schools matching independent schools for academic results? No, well, it depends. It’s a question of definition; how you define academic results, and whether you’re referring to all or some schools. The best state schools may be matching the best independent schools on exam results. But, as a group, independent schools outperform when it […]
School results and achievements
School results and achievements usually mean exam results, future school or university places and academic progress. But they also include results in academic, artistic and sporting competition.
You may hear that a particular school “gets good results” or “is good at sport”. But, are those results achieved by all the school's pupils or just a talented few?
When a school is good at sport; sporting excellence
Only 2% of schools can truly claim sporting excellence. And 78% of them are independent. At some point on a school visit you’ll pass a sports trophy cabinet, or something similar. Most likely you won’t miss it because it’s in the main entrance. It will be celebrating pupils’ achievements, which is to be commended. But […]
Artistic excellence; when a school is good at the creative arts
A school demonstrating artistic excellence wins awards and competitions. Just as in sport. How do you know if a school champions artistic excellence? How do you know when one school is better at creative arts (art, dance, drama, music) than another? You could trust your own judgement though many who do confuse excellence with good […]
Academic competition; bridge, chess, debating, maths…
Bridge, chess, debating, maths, science are the new frontier in inter-school competition. Success in academic competition demonstrates a school’s commitment to academic excellence. I think it’s fair to say that few parents list “success in an academic competition” as a significant factor when deciding between schools. I suppose the ultimate academic competition is exam results; […]