More to success than results

I have never been convinced that the success or otherwise of a school can be easily and readily assessed by its examination results and league tables, which fail to measure the immense range of factors that go to make up a good education for our young people.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Feb 2014, 12:00 BST

Alas, however, this is the world in which we live.

When statistics are used to prove a point it is all too easy to select those figures that appear to confirm one’s opinion – they can be cherry-picked.

The Rev Chris Clark (Gazette letters, January 23) has done this brilliantly. He rightly says that that in 2008, the percentage of five A*to C grades (including English and maths) at Littlehampton Community School (LCS) was 29 per cent.

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However, the academy (TLA) under Steve Jewell’s stewardship did not open until 2009.

The results for the final cohort of students from LCS in 2009 showed a pass rate of 35 per cent. The results for TLA since then have been 34 per cent (2010), 42 per cent (2011), 51 per cent (2012), 42 per cent (2013).

The ‘blip’ he refers to seems to be in 2012 and not 2013 (he failed to give the 2013 results in his letter).

I will leave readers to interpret these results as they wish. They have not been cherry-picked.

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I am deeply sorry that the town’s only secondary school is experiencing such a difficult time. I hope the students’ education does not suffer while the Woodard Academies Trust attempts to improve its own performance.

I fear this may not be the case if the way this Christian organisation has so appallingly treated its governors is anything to go by.

Ron Fluke

Foam Court Waye

Ferring