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Schools, Pupils and Examination Results: contextualising school ‘performance’
Author(s) -
Gibson Alex,
Asthana Sheena
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1080/0141192980240303
Subject(s) - ordinary least squares , mathematics education , certificate , census , school choice , profiling (computer programming) , school certificate , variance (accounting) , regression analysis , academic achievement , primary education , sociology , psychology , pedagogy , political science , statistics , demography , mathematics , computer science , economics , population , accounting , algorithm , law , operating system
This article seeks to demonstrate the extent to which school‐level performance in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is underpinned by variations in the socio‐economic background of pupils. Using a postcode‐census method of profiling the socio‐economic characteristics of school populations, the study analyses the examination performance of 259 schools in 12 local education authorities (LEAs). Describing an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression model which accounts for 64% of between‐school variance in the GCSE performance of non‐selective schools, the paper concludes (1) that uncontextualised performance statistics are fundamentally flawed, and (2) that policies directed at school improvement must acknowledge and address underlying constraints on school performance.