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1. School rolls
Table 3 gives information on the national picture for comparative purposes. The average secondary school roll in Scotland according to the 1998 school census was 799. Typical two-year and four-year schools are, of course, much smaller.
Table 3: Numbers of EA secondary schools, September1998, excluding special schools
2. Results shown in Part 1
The results in Standard Grade examinations printed for each school are:
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the percentage of pupils in S4 (fourth year) who have gained five or more awards at Credit Level (grades 1 and 2); |
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the percentage of pupils in S4 who have gained five or more awards at Credit or General Levels (grades 1, 2, 3 and 4); |
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the percentage of pupils in S4 who have gained five or more awards at Credit, General or Foundation Levels (grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). |
The results in Higher Grade examinations printed for each school are:
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the percentage of the previous S4 year group who gained one or more awards at Bands A, B or C in S5 (fifth year); |
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the percentage of the previous S4 year group who gained three or more awards at Bands A, B or C in S5; |
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the percentage of the previous S4 year group who gained five or more awards at Bands A, B or C in S5; |
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the percentage of the S4 year group two years previously who gained two or more awards at Bands A, B or C in S6. |
The results in the examinations for the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies printed for each school are:
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the percentage of the S4 year group two years previously who gained one or more awards at Bands A, B or C. |
All of the Standard Grade, Higher Grade and CSYS figures are based on information held by SQA. The figures for 1997 and 1998 are post-appeal, but the figures for 1999 reflect the position when the results were sent to pupils in August 1999 and so are based on pre-appeal data.
The results in National Certificate modules printed for each school are:
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the percentage of pupils in S3/S4 (third and fourth years) who gained awards in one or more National Certificate modules; |
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the percentage of pupils in S5/S6 (fifth and sixth years) who gained awards in one or more National Certificate modules; |
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the percentage of pupils in S5/S6 who have gained awards in three or more National Certificate modules. |
All of the NC figures are based on information held by SQA. The figures for each year relate to awards between August of one year and July of the next. The 1999 figures are based on provisional data.
3. Basis of calculations for this report
The results shown in Part 1 of this report are given as a percentage of the roll rather than actual figures for comparison purposes. These percentages have been rounded to aid clarity.
Throughout, principles of calculations are consistent with the information which schools are required to provide under SOED Circular 10/93: Information for Parents in Scotland.
3.1 STANDARD GRADE
For Standard Grade the percentage calculation takes as its base the school roll in S4 in September. For example:
School A has 214 pupils in fourth year. Sixty-seven gain five or more (5+) awards at grades 1 or 2. The percentage gaining 5+ awards is therefore 31%.
School B has 143 pupils in fourth year. Fifty-five gain 5+ awards at grades 1-2. The percentage is therefore 38%.
For whatever reasons, a larger proportion of pupils in School B gained 5+ awards at grades 1-2 (38% against 31%).
3.2 HIGHER GRADE
In the case of Higher Grade examinations, for S5, the calculation is based on the number of pupils who began the previous year in S4. The advantage of using this basis is that it gives a picture of how many pupils in the original full year group gained Higher Grades in S5, their next year of schooling. Similarly, the calculation for S6 is based on the number who began in S4 two years earlier and it provides a picture of how many gained Higher Grades in S6, their final year of schooling. The disadvantage is that the figures for the few schools which have a new intake of pupils into S5 or S6 (some island and rural schools or some independent schools, for example) will be inflated. Education authority schools which are designated to accept pupils at S5 from S1-S4 secondary schools are marked in the tables by . The figures for S6 Higher Grades include resits of Higher Grades taken previously in S5.
3.3 CSYS
The figures for CSYS are calculated as a percentage of the number who began two years earlier in S4. This enables readers to follow through the performance of the original full year group to the time when they leave school.
3.4 NC MODULES
The figures for NC module awards in S3/S4 are based on the estimated number of full successes expressed as a percentage of the combined S3/S4 roll. The estimated number is based on pupils' dates of birth since the true stage of pupils is unknown to the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It is unlikely that any individual school will have a significant proportion of its pupils wrongly placed as a result of this approach.
Similarly, the figures for NC awards achieved by S5/S6 pupils are expressed as a percentage of the combined S5/S6 roll.
3.5 SCE: PRE-APPEAL/POST-APPEAL
All the information about SCE examination performance in 1999 is pre-appeal data. The information for 1997 and 1998 is post-appeal. You should keep this fact in mind when considering data in Part 1. The overall results of appeals are usually available from the Scottish Qualifications Authority towards the end of November. The outcome of appeals generally boosts the level of awards at Standard Grade, Higher Grade and CSYS.
At Standard Grade, the major difference between pre-appeal information and post-appeal information is in the percentage of No Awards. At post-appeal, the percentage of No Awards nationally is about 7% whilst at pre-appeal it is about 8%. This difference is largely artificial since it reflects the way withdrawals of pupils from examinations are handled by SQA. This is an administration point which particularly affects the writing paper for modern languages and does not reflect the level of successful appeals.
On the basis of previous experience, we might expect the national figures for Standard Grade Credit level awards to increase by about 1% and for a similar percentage of all Higher Grade candidates to be successful in appeals.
Individual schools will be able to quantify the effect of appeals on their totals in any one year.
3.6 National Certificate MODULES: PROVISIONAL RESULTS
Information about National Certificate awards in 1999 should be regarded as provisional as it does not include any module successes notified by schools to SQA after 22 July 1999. The final figures could be higher and this could make a noticeable difference in some schools. Individual schools will be able to provide information on any late submission of module results.
3.7 PUPILS UNDERTAKING SCE EXAMS AND NC MODULES AT OTHER SCHOOLS
The figures for some schools are affected by pupils who are presented for examinations and/or undertake modules at schools other than their own school. This includes special school pupils presented for examinations at a secondary school.
3.8 ROLL FIGURES
All school roll figures used in this report are taken from returns made by schools in the annual SEED school census which takes place each year in September. They cover pupils in secondary stages only and do not include any changes in roll, for example, because of pupil transfers, which take place after September.
3.9 STAY-ON RATES
The stay-on rate is the estimated January roll in S5 divided by the S4 roll in September the previous year.
The January roll in S5 is estimated from the S5 roll at the start of S5 in September and the number of pupils reported in the school leaver returns as leaving S5 during the first term. Subtracting the number of leavers from the number in S5 in September is a close approximation to the January S5 roll.
3.10 PERCENTAGES OVER 100%
The figures in Part 1 of the report are calculated in the same way for all schools. Since most figures are referred to a S4 September roll, the calculation will be affected by any pupils who join S4 after September. The figure most likely to be affected is the percentage of S4 pupils gaining 5 or more Standard Grade awards at 1-6.
Similarly, the calculation of staying-on rates will be affected by any additional pupils who join the school for the start of S5. Therefore a number of independent and education authority schools show staying on rates of over 100%. In these schools, the same factor might result in figures for the percentage of pupils who gain 1+ Higher Grades at A-C being over 100 or very close to it.
3.11 PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Some schools make provision for pupils with special educational needs within special units attached to the school or through other arrangements. These pupils are included in the roll information for the school and this might have a significant effect on the attainment pattern. However, the overall effect will be heavily dependent on the number of pupils and the nature of their needs.
4. What this report does not contain
This report only contains information for individual schools on Standard Grade, Higher Grade, CSYS and National Certificate modules for schools which were open in September 1999. Figures for schools which closed before this date have been included in the appropriate national and education authority averages.
4.1 S2 and S4 SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Some of the schools which are listed in the tables provide education only at some stages, for example, only in S1 and S2 or from S1 to S4. Accordingly the tables contain no information on examination results or no information on results in S5/S6. Two asterisks (**) are printed instead. The schools concerned have the stages they offer printed after the school name.
4.2 SHORT COURSES
The report does not give information on individual schools' performance in Short Courses offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. This does not reflect any judgement on the place of Short Courses in the programmes of studies offered by our schools. National figures are included in the report. Technical reasons have prevented the inclusion of information on individual schools this year.
4.3 GROUP AWARDS
The report does not contain information about Group Awards in individual schools. The data for most schools in the majority of education authorities is sparse and because of this, the information for individual schools would not be helpful at this stage. A section giving details of the number of such awards nationally has been included in Part 2.
4.4 OTHER EXAMINATIONS
There is no information about any other examinations which might be offered in some schools (for example: GCSE, A Level).
4.5 EDUCATION AUTHORITY SPECIAL SCHOOLS
The report does not include details of the achievements of pupils in education authority special schools. Education authority tables therefore also exclude data from special schools, although pupils from such schools may achieve awards in SCE examinations.
4.6 SMALL NUMBERS
Two asterisks (**) are printed in the report in place of percentages that could be misleading or could lead to the identification of individuals. In most cases, this shows that percentages are based on very small numbers of awards (those of more than 0 but fewer than 5 candidates).
4.7 CALCULATION OF Averages
You are asked to note that, in this report, the national and education authority data given throughout do not generally include figures from independent schools or education authority special schools. They do include the grant-aided school.
4.8 VALUE ADDED INFORMATION
The value added by a school is a measure of the extent to which pupils' actual achievements are in line with what might be expected of them. SEED and COSLA joint working-groups are exploring the issue of value added information. Information for parents, pupils and School Boards on value added is available in a folder from schools entitled How Good Are Our Results?. Information on value added from S4 Standard Grade to S5 Higher Grade is already made available to schools to assist in their analysis of examination results.
5. Publicly available information on Scottish schools
School handbooks provide a range of information on the school: what is taught; policy on matters such as discipline and school uniform; the school roll and stages covered; and, for a secondary school, public examination results. In future, schools will also publish information on targets for 5-14 attainment and for minimising absence targets.
Handbooks of schools making provision for education in fourth, fifth and sixth year also include information on where pupils go after they leave school. This information is presented in a similar way for all schools. However, schools are also encouraged to include additional information, set out as they think best. Education authorities provide all parents of primary seven pupils with comparative tables for secondary schools in their area, excluding independent schools. The information presented in handbooks is in a standard format for all schools.
Information on attendance and school costs is also published in school handbooks.
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