League tables branded 'nonsense' by private schools after low rankings

After confusion over International GCSEs, England’s top private secondaries are expected to be at the bottom of the league tables.

18:04 29 January 2015

The Department of Education has applied changes in this year’s league tables catching many schools unaware of the shift of the qualifications. Because of this, several top private secondaries in England are expected to be at the bottom of the school league tables. 

 

Richard Harman, chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), which represents many leading independent schools, said the decision to drop IGCSEs made "nonsense" of the league tables.

 

"Several of the UK's most highly performing independent schools and others offering this excellent qualification will now appear to be bottom of the class in the government's rankings.

 

"This obviously absurd situation creates further confusion for parents as they cannot compare schools' performance accurately and transparently.

 

"Many HMC schools will continue to offer the IGCSE, as experience tells us it is rigorous and offers a good basis for sixth form study."

 

But Graham Stuart, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, said: "They're not designed to serve independent schools. They are designed to create a benchmark for state schools."