"Adding value" on it's own doesn't mean that much

Nice to know that I know nothing about what I am talking about
the league tables for Secondary schools in England for 5 good GCSE A*- C places Salford in 125th place out of 148, with an average score of 40.3% against a national average of 47.6%
In Salford Swinton high school lies 11th out of 17 schools with a score of 38% and Hope/Oasis is 13th with a score of 33%.
These are the results employers look at on CV's not how much value added I got at school.
As I said where it counts Salford and both schools are well below the national average. if anybody should have got this award it should teh Head of St Georges has he fights to keep open a school that is above the national average for 5 good GCSEs. But I know nothing
One other thing Salford is also 9th out of 10 in the Greater Manchester Region.

I'm glad that you reiterate twice in you post that you know nothing, because that's precisely what your second post on this matter suggests.

Employers don't look at what percentage 5+ A*-C a school gets at all (another inaccuracy which shows your lack of knowledge/understanding). An employer won't look at an individual student's value added score either, because the measure was invented to measure the effectiveness of schools. At that individual level the number/quality of qualifications is what matters, not their CVA nor their school's headline figures.

However, how in God's name is a school that takes kids from deprived areas with low aspirations and many social issues meant to compete with a school that has a bright, middle class intake on a crude measure like % 5+ A*-C?! That really does prove beyond any doubt that you have no understanding of how a school/Headteacher should be judged.

Your original post was an attempt to ridicule the Head at Swinton High. As tried to explain earlier, he has done an excellent job since his arrival and continues to do so [uconsidering the kids he has to work with[/u. FWIW I do have some sympathy with Phil Harte over his campaign to save his school, but the percentage of students who reach the level 2 threshold is not, and should not, be enough to keep it open on its own.

CVA shows that if Swinton High had St George's intake and vice versa that Swinton would significantly out-perform St George's in every measure. The fact that Swinton gets a relatively weak intake, with which they do fantastically well, does not mean that the Head is not doing a good job.

And, unlike you, people who do know what they're talking about (DCFS, SSAT, etc) recognise the fantastic work of John Biddlestone and Swinton High in the awards they have been given over recent years.

The phrase? Maybe not. However, the measure cetainly does.

It tells us how effective a school is in moving it's students' forward. It does not penalise a school with a weak intake in a tough area when comparing it to a school with a middle class intake in a leafy suburb.

It tells you how much they will 'improve' your child regardless of their starting point.

That's pretty significant when it comes to judging schools.

I know why the measure was invented, but as i stated an employer looks at a persons CV and looks for what GCSEs they have got, just reading my post again I should have made this clearer.

He was nominated and came second.

PS - judging by your posts, you're not John Biddlestone are you?

Fair enough point, but can't see how this is relevant to how good or bad a Headteacher is?!




Glad he was nominated

Shame he only came second

I'm his wife

Never known a wife to complain about that before.

Would make a change though