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GCSE figures put Croydon schools at bottom of their class

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Last week, the Department for Education published the 2013 statistics for GCSE pupils across the country. As Inside Croydon has already reported, based on these results, not a single Croydon state secondary managed to make it into the top 200 schools in the country.

Meanwhile, Councillor Tim Pollard, the cabinet member responsible for schools in the Conservative-controlled borough, tweeted in a somewhat self-satisfied manner last week: “Croydon cabinet approves Education Standards report showing continuing picture of improvement under this Conservatives [sic] administration”.

“Continuing picture of improvement”? Really?

Here’s some preliminary figures from the DfE’s statistics which our education correspondent, GENE BRODIE, ought to be a good deal less satisfactory for Councillor Pollard

The people of Croydon understandably want the best for their children. That includes a decent education at a school of their choice.

Yet the latest figures from the Department for Education, based on 2013 GCSE results across the country, show that Croydon is unable to deliver a similar standard of education at many of its schools when compared to neighbouring boroughs in south London.

Indeed, by some distance, Croydon schools are much worse than any other outer London borough south of the river when you look at the percentage of pupils who achieved the English Baccalaureate (that is five GCSEs at grades A to C, including maths, English, a science, and a modern language):

The mean average of pupils achieving an E Bacc by residence for these south London boroughs: 36.47%

A lower percentage of pupils who attend schools in Croydon achieve the English Baccalaureate than any other outer London borough south of the river:

The mean average for these south London boroughs of pupils achieving an E Bacc by school: 35%

Croydon is not just under-achieving in its schools when compared with our neighbouring outer London boroughs, it is performing significantly worse. Yet if your family happened to live half a mile the other side of the borough boundary, in Sutton or Bromley for example, your children would be able to attend schools that are performing markedly better.

When you examine the figures and make comparisons within the borough of Croydon, an even more surprising picture emerges on the percentage of pupils who attend schools in Croydon achieving the English Baccalaureate:

If we drill down by school then let us see what emerges in this borough that claims to be seeing record levels of GCSE success:

Croydon North

One caveat worth noting is that these are percentages based on the number of pupils on the schools roll. As The Guardian reported last week, Harris Academy South Norwood inexplicitly “lost” 28 of its pupils in one school year group in the year before they were due to sit their GCSEs. Were these pupils to come from those less likely to attain the five GCSE passes, then the percentage achieving that measure will obviously be enhanced.

Croydon Central

Croydon South

And this is what Councillor Tim Pollard describes as a “continuing picture of improvement”.

Coming to Croydon


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