At SJS, It’s Not All About Headline Results

In July and August, we were very proud to share the news of St. Julian’s students’ success in the IB Diploma and I/GCSE examinations. Like all schools, we initially shared the headline results of average grades, percentage of A*-A and 40+ points. This year, St. Julian’s students achieved our highest ever average points score for the IB Diploma, the highest percentage of students achieving 40+ points and the highest number of students achieving 45 points. In I/GCSE, our students achieved the highest ever percentage of A*-A/9-7 grades. These are superb results in any year, but in the context of the disruption faced by these students over the last 2 years, they are truly remarkable. We couldn’t be more proud of our student's efforts.

The results also compare favourably when benchmarked against other schools in the UK and internationally, especially considering that St. Julian's is not academically selective in the way some other schools are.

However, these figures do not tell the full story of how successful our students have been on an individual or collective basis. Headline figures of amazing average grades can be misleading because an exceptionally gifted cohort of students selected for entry to a school should be capable of achieving top grades.

As educators, our focus should be less on headlining grades and more on the Value-Added statistics. Like most schools, we use an external, independent body to help us benchmark our impact on students. The school uses the Centre for Educational Monitoring (CEM) at Durham University in order to provide value-added analysis and statistical information. Students sit a baseline cognitive ability test in Year 7, Year 10 and Year 12, which provides a target grade for each subject based on historical statistical data from thousands of schools. Once the exam results are received during the summer, they are sent to CEM, who then provides a report summarising the extent to which the school has added value to the results of the students. This report is important because it takes into account the ability of students as individuals and as a cohort whilst giving some evidence for us to investigate and learn more about the impact that learning at St. Julian’s has on students.

This year the IB Diploma value-added data for this year shows an average of +0.45 - this means that, on average, every student achieved almost half a grade above their baseline target. This puts St. Julian’s in the top 5% of schools for value added.

For St Julian’s teachers and leaders, the challenge is to ensure that we identify, understand, celebrate and build on the things we are doing to support students in being the best they can be.

Dan Norbury
Secondary Principal