OUR RESULTS
EXAM AND ASSESSMENT
The DfE has recently published provisional performance tables which provide information about school performance. They are provisional because not all results and re-marks are available yet. As you will see from the explanatory note below, this year around 90 (ninety) results are missing from our figures. This means that the figures are erroneous. The DfE release includes a measure called Progress 8 – a measure intended to demonstrate the progress pupils make and it would be worth noting a number of factors for how it has been calculated this year in relation to GCSE performance at Sacred Heart.
Firstly, Sacred Heart offers up to 10 subjects at GCSE while this measure will only count 8 of them. For this calculation, these additional GCSEs cannot be counted, whereas the reality for our pupils is that they are important qualifications giving them the edge in higher education and employment. It is important to understand too that this measure works best when pupils follow a group of subjects (not a qualification) known as English Baccalaureate, and it measures outcomes in these subjects. Outside of the core, these subjects are limited to modern languages, History, Geography and Computing.
At Sacred heart, we offer all of these subjects but haven’t forced pupils to follow them if they have other valid preferences in line with their aspirations. Instead, we provide individualised pathways through a rich curriculum and pupils have access to Music, Drama, PE, Technology, Art and vocational options.
Just as importantly with curriculum, we provide an academic portfolio for the majority of our pupils based on reputable GCSEs. All qualifications offered at the College are recognised by employers and universities. None of them is designed solely for league table measures. We are very proud that large numbers of our pupils go on to higher education, often at the most prestigious universities including Oxbridge, because they take these traditional GCSEs, even if they could be considered more difficult and less likely to score highly in this measure. Finally, it would be worth noting that the College retains its commitment to GCSE RE, even though this relatively new measure does not count this important subject as part of the Baccalaureate group. Results in GCSE RE are very strong, as evidenced in successive Section 48 Inspections.
As you are aware, the calculation chosen by the DfE to measure school performance changes periodically and the College is prepared for this. Our emphasis throughout these changes is to seek the best pathway for our pupils as individuals and we will, of course, continue to do that.
Provisional Key Stage 4 2019 Results Table
| Subject | % at Grade 4 or Above |
|---|---|
| English* (grade 4 or above) | 81 |
| Maths (grade 4 or above) | 73 |
| Maths and English (grade 4 or above) | 66 |
| English Baccalaureate** (grade 4 or above) | 66 |
| Biology | 98 |
| Chemistry | 100 |
| Physics | 100 |
| Art | 55 |
| Computer Science | 60 |
| Drama | 95 |
| French | 72 |
| Geography | 46 |
| History | 70 |
| Music | 100 |
| GCSE PE | 85 |
| BTEC PE | 100 |
| Religious Education | 68 |
| Spanish | 94 |
| DT: Product Design | 52 |
| Creative iMedia | 61 |
* In line with DfE Progress 8 and Attainment 8 measures (-0.4, 47), all pupils now study both Language and Literature and record the higher of the 2 marks for the purposes of DfE performance tables.
**English Baccalaureate figure represents 21% of total cohort. Pupils were free to follow these qualifications in 2017-19 if they chose.
Key Stage 4 Outcomes 2019
| Progress 8 Score | -0.46 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 46.8% |
| % of pupils achieving a strong pass (grade 5 or above) in English and Maths | 37% |
| % of pupils achieving the EBacc | 14% |
| Pupil destinations: the % of pupils staying in education or going into employment after KS4 | 95% |
Provisional Key Stage 5 Attainment 2019
| Number of students at the end of 16-18 studies | 137 |
|---|---|
| Average grade in best three A-Levels | C |
| Average grade per A-Level entry | C- |
| Average Vocational grade per Applied General entry | Distinction- |
| Average Vocational grade per tech level entry | Merit+ |
| KS5 Progress(L3VA) A Level | -0.38 |
| English Progress (GCSE re-take) | +0.29 |
| Mathematics Progress (GCSE re-take) | +0.40 |
IMPORTANT
DOWNLOADS
Examination Board Warning to Candidates
Warning to Candidates
- You must be on time for all your examinations.
- You must not become involved in any unfair or dishonest practice in any part of the examination.
- You must not: sit an examination in the name of another candidate; have in your possession any unauthorised material or equipment which might give you an unfair advantage.
- Possession of a mobile phone or other unauthorised material is breaking the rules, even if you do not intend to use it, and you will be subject to penalty and possible disqualification.
- You must not talk to, attempt to communicate with or disturb other candidates once you have entered the examination room.
- You must follow the instructions of the invigilator.
- If you are in any doubt speak to the invigilator.
The Warning to Candidates must be displayed in a prominent place outside each examination room. This may be a hard copy A3 paper version or an image of the poster projected onto a wall or screen for all candidates to see.
Mobile Phones/Electronic Devices
NO MOBILE PHONES, iPODs, MP3/4 PLAYERS.
NO PRODUCTS WITH AN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION/STORAGE DEVICE OR DIGITAL FACILITY.
Possession of unauthorised items is an infringement of the regulations and could result inDISQUALIFICATION from the current examination and the overall qualification.
Candidates are advised that mobile phones in particular must not be in their possession whether switched on or not.
GCE ELC & Project Coursework
This notice has been produced on behalf of: AQA, City & Guilds, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Information for candidates
GCE, ELC and Project qualifications – coursework assessments
This leaflet tells you about some things that you must, and must not do when you are completing coursework. Before you submit any coursework for marking, you will be asked to sign an authentication statement confirming that you have read and followed these regulations. If there is anything that you do not understand, you must ask your teacher or lecturer.
Coursework provides you with an opportunity to do some independent research into a topic. The research you do will involve looking for information in published sources such as textbooks, encyclopedias, journals, TV, radio, and on the internet.
Using information from published sources (including the internet) as the basis for your coursework is a good way to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a subject, but you must take care how you use this material – you cannot copy it and claim it as your own work.
If you use the same wording as a published source, you must place quotation marks around the passage and state where it came from. This is called “referencing”. You must make sure that you give detailed references for everything in your work which is not in your own words. A reference from a printed book or journal should show the name of the author, the year of publication and the page number, for example: (Morrison, 2000, pg.29).
For material taken from the internet, your reference should show the date when the material was downloaded and must show the precise web page, not the search engine used to locate it. This can be copied from the address line. For example:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16/sosteacher/history/49766.shtml), downloaded 12 February 2014.
You must also include a bibliography at the end of your work, which lists the full details of publications you have used in your research, even where these are not directly referred to, for example: Morrison, A. (2000) “Mary, Queen of Scots”, London: Weston Press.
If you copy the words or ideas of others and don’t show your sources in references and a bibliography, this will be considered as cheating.
The regulations state that:
“the work which you submit for assessment must be your own”,
“you must not copy from someone else or allow another candidate to copy from you”.
Preparing your coursework – good practice
If you receive help and guidance from someone other than your teacher, you must tell your teacher who will then record the nature of the assistance given to you. If you worked as part of a group on an assignment, for example, undertaking field research, you must each write up your own account of the assignment. Even if the data you have is the same, the description of how that data was obtained and the conclusions you draw from it should be in your own words.
You must meet the deadlines that your teacher gives you. Remember – your teachers are there to guide you. Although they cannot give you direct assistance, they can help you to sort out any problems before it is too late.
Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. You must always keep your coursework secure and confidential whilst you are preparing it; do not share it with your classmates. If it is stored on the computer network, keep your password secure. Collect all copies from the printer and destroy those you don’t need.
Don’t be tempted to use essays from on-line essay banks — this is cheating. Electronic tools used by awarding bodies can detect this sort of copying.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously.
Don’t think you won’t be caught; there are many ways to detect plagiarism.
- Markers can spot changes in the style of writing and use of language.
- Markers are highly experienced subject specialists who are very familiar with work on the topic concerned — they may have read the source you are using (or even marked the essay you have copied from!).
- Internet search engines and specialised computer software can be used to match phrases or pieces of text with original sources and to detect changes in the grammar and style of writing or punctuation.
Penalties for breaking the regulations
If your work is submitted and it is discovered that you have broken the regulations, one of the following penalties will be applied:
- the piece of work will be awarded zero marks;
- you will be disqualified from that units or that examination series;
- you will be disqualified from the wholes subject for that examinations series:
- you will be disqualified from all subjects and barred from entering again for a period of time.
Your awarding body will decide which penalty is appropriate.
REMEMBER – IT’S YOUR QUALIFICATION SO IT NEEDS TO BE YOUR OWN WORK
GCSE Controlled Assessments
This notice has been produced on behalf of: AQA, City & Guilds, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Information for candidates
Information for Candidates – Controlled Assessments
This leaflet tells you about some things that you must, and must not do when you are completing work. Before you submit any work for marking, you will be asked to sign an authentication statement confirming that you have read and followed these regulations. If there is anything that you do not understand, you must ask your teacher or lecturer.
Controlled Assessment will provide you with an opportunity to do some independent research into a topic. The research you do will involve looking for information in published sources such as textbooks, encyclopedias, journals, TV, radio, and on the internet.
Using information from published sources (including the internet) as the basis for your assignment is a good way to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a subject, but you must take care how you use this material – you cannot copy it and claim it as your own work.
The regulations state that:
“the work which you submit for assessment must be your own”,
“you must not copy from someone else or allow another candidate to copy from you”.
If you use the same wording as a published source, you must place quotation marks around the passage and state where it came from. This is called “referencing”. You must make sure that you give detailed references for everything in your work which is not in your own words. A reference from a printed book or journal should show the name of the author, the year of publication and the page number, for example: (Morrison, 2000, pg.29).
For material taken from the internet, your reference should show the date when the material was downloaded and must show the precise web page, not the search engine used to locate it. This can be copied from the address line. For example:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16/sosteacher/history/49766.shtml), downloaded 12 February 2014.
You must also include a bibliography at the end of your work, which lists the full details of publications you have used in your research, even where these are not directly referred to, for example: Morrison, A. (2000) “Mary, Queen of Scots”, London: Weston Press.
If you copy the words or ideas of others and don’t show your sources in references and a bibliography, this will be considered as cheating.
Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. You must always keep your coursework secure and confidential whilst you are preparing it; do not share it with your classmates. If it is stored on the computer network, keep your password secure. Collect all copies from the printer and destroy those you don’t need.
Don’t be tempted to use essays from on-line essay banks — this is cheating. Electronic tools used by awarding bodies can detect this sort of copying.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously.
Don’t think you won’t be caught; there are many ways to detect plagiarism.
- Markers can spot changes in the style of writing and use of language.
- Markers are highly experienced subject specialists who are very familiar with work on the topic concerned — they may have read the source you are using (or even marked the essay you have copied from!).
- Internet search engines and specialised computer software can be used to match phrases or pieces of text with original sources and to detect changes in the grammar and style of writing or punctuation.
Penalties for breaking the regulations
If your work is submitted and it is discovered that you have broken the regulations, one of the following penalties will be applied:
- the piece of work will be awarded zero marks;
- you will be disqualified from that units or that examination series;
- you will be disqualified from the wholes subject for that examinations series:
- you will be disqualified from all subjects and barred from entering again for a period of time.
Your awarding body will decide which penalty is appropriate.
REMEMBER – IT’S YOUR QUALIFICATION SO IT NEEDS TO BE YOUR OWN WORK
Social Media/The Internet
Information for candidates: Guidelines when referring to examinations/assessments through the Internet
This document has been written to help you. Please read it carefully.
We all like to share our experiences when taking examinations. However, it is important to consider what you say. Your comments may lead to an investigation for malpractice and result in the application of a penalty.
Awarding bodies monitor social media and websites. They do not wish to see candidates jeopardise their marks or grades as there are significant consequences for anyone caught breaching the rules for examinations, controlled assessment or coursework.
The rules are set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) on behalf of all the awarding bodies and can be found at: http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice
Examples of statements or activities that will lead to a malpractice investigation include:
- copying or allowing work to be copied – i.e. posting written work on social networking sites prior to an examination/assessment;
- collusion: working collaboratively with other candidates beyond what is permitted;
- allowing others to help produce your work or helping others with theirs;
- being in possession of confidential material in advance of the examination;
- exchanging, obtaining, receiving or passing on information by any means of communication (even if just attempting to);
- passing on rumours of exam content from another candidate.
This list is not exhaustive. Other instances of candidate malpractice may be considered by an awarding body.
If you are found guilty of breaching any of these rules you could find yourself facing:
- a warning;
- the loss of marks for a section, component or unit;
- disqualification from a unit, all units or qualifications; or
- a ban from sitting exams for a set period of time. You must familiarise yourself with the rules: http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/information-for-candidates-documents Take care to avoid possible malpractice and the application of a penalty.
