Truth behind school’s dismal league showing

Radclyffe school head Hardial Hayer: does what is best for pupils, not tables

AN OLDHAM school has been named as one of the worst in the country for its GCSE results — only a month after being classed as “outstanding” and being praised for ignoring league tables.

According to the tables Radclyffe School in Chadderton failed to meet government targets for results and pupil progress, as did Oasis Academy Oldham and Waterhead Academy.

Only 25 per cent of pupils at Oasis achieved at least five A* to C grades, including English and maths, compared with the government’s minimum of 40 per cent. The figures were 31 per cent at Waterhead and 39 per cent at Radclyffe.

But Radclyffe head teacher Hardial Hayer says his school’s results don’t paint a true picture - because pupils there sit GCSE English and maths a year early and the results of their re-sits in year 11 aren’t included in the league tables — even though last year three quarters of candidates improved on their initial grades.

Radclyffe’s policy was praised as “principled” and “conspicuously successful” by Ofsted, who rated the school outstanding in every area in December.

Mr Hayer said: “Our work has never been informed by league tables, but by what is right for our students. We are only under this floor standard because it is comparing our year 10 results with other schools’ year 11 results. If you look at the results when our year 11 students left us, we achieved 60 per cent.”

According to one analysis, 329 English secondary schools didn’t meet the minimum standards this year.

Almost 190 of them are academies, including eight sponsored by the charity Oasis.

A spokesman for Oasis Academy Oldham said: “Nigel Whittle was appointed as the academy’s new principal at the beginning of this school year. He has a proven track record of delivering improved teaching, accelerated standards, and supporting young people to realise their full potential.”

The league tables follow provisional figures published by the Department of Education in October.

The government decided for the first time to release the figures three months early, arguing it was essential for parents to have up-to-date information before the school applications deadline.

Many critics have said the tables give a misleading picture of school performance. Officials argued in turn that the full results would change only slightly.

The final figures see only slight increases in some Oldham schools. Hulme Grammar School has the borough’s best A* to C pass rate, including English and maths, at 92 per cent followed by Blue Coat (81 per cent) and Crompton House (76 per cent).