CHEW VALLEY SCHOOL

So what has happened to Chew Valley School?

We all know that education is far more than exam results. But we also know that exam results are very important for a child's future in the world - economically and socially. The number and quality of GCSE passes is not only an indication of a child's intelligence but also the standard of formal education he or she receives. It is also a comparative guide.

In the national tables created for the Times, Chew Valley has shown a consistent downward trajectory that should concern parents and children alike, besides the managers and staff at the school. Obviously something is not right and needs to be addressed.

Compared to the top school for results in the Times survey - a state boys' selective: Wilson's School in Sutton - with roughly the same number of pupils and exam entrants, the percentage getting grades 9 and 8 was 85.1% (Chew: 11.2%); grades 7,8 and 9, 94.9 % (Chew 19.8%)

In other words, 80% of Chew pupils were given grades below seven as compared to only 5% at at Wilson's although this is not necessarily a fair comparison, Wilson's being an ancient school able to select the brightest boys from the catchment area. It is accepted that it is a comparison with the best performing school not the average. However, this means that Chew ranks only ten places from the bottom out of 192 recorded!

Given that the Chew Valley is a relatively prosperous and rural area, free from the many problems of city areas, this is even more surprising. I remember Chew being much higher in the rankings in years gone by, so the signs are not good and it appears pupils are being short changed and their prospects damaged.

However a more positive and perhaps more realistic picture is presented on the school's own web site

( https://www.chewvalleyschool.co.uk/exam-results )

where results on various parameters are shown to be at or about the national average with

• 74% of students achieving Grade 4 (standard Pass) in English and Maths;
• 49% achieving Grade 5 (strong Pass) in both subjects;
• 48% of students achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths (at Grade 4 or above);
• 41% of students achieving the English Baccalaureate;
• and 97% of students stayed in education or employment after Key Stage 4.

But in a very competitive world, where the choice of higher and further education is dependent on GCSE and A - level results, the Times tables appear to give no grounds for complacency. "Could do better" might be a teacher's end-of-term report.