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Remarkable value-added scores from exam results
September 16, 2020

This year the school’s A Level results were in value-added terms the best ever achieved by Rydal Penrhos pupils.

What does this mean? What is “value-added”? And perhaps most importantly how is it one of the best indicators of the performance of schools like Rydal Penrhos?

When children arrive in school they are evaluated through tests (most of the time they do not even realise this is what is happening, so it is nothing to worry about). These tests plot the child’s innate ability and performance and can therefore forecast the child’s likely outcome at GCSE and then later at A Level according to the national average.

To “Add Value” means a school can significantly influence a child’s performance through such a high standard of teaching that the projected outcome is improved and therefore they achieve much better grades than they would have done at an average school (i.e. the national average).

At Rydal Penrhos this is the overwhelming outcome, using analysis by the Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) based in Gateshead and working in symmetry with the University of Cambridge.

At ‘A’ level our score is 0.5 this means for every ten subjects taken, five of them (i.e. half) have come out with higher grades than forecast.

Rydal Penrhos

This has meant for example that over the 51 Year 13 pupils who recently left, 100 additional ‘A’ grades were achieved.

Similarly, at GCSE we show strong consistent “Value-added” with a score of 0.8 so again eight out of every ten subjects taken would result in higher scores than predicted. This means that the 36 pupils in Year 11 secured more than 250 higher grades than projected given their prior performance.

Rydal Penrhos

We are very pleased with these results and feel it is a good indicator for parents that they are giving their child the very best opportunity to perform to their highest capability and even beyond it.

We continue to strive to create an education which enables children through excellent teaching and support to achieve their best and we are constantly looking to make adaptations to what we do to ensure this.

Rydal Penrhos has announced changes to the structure of teaching and the curriculum in Years 12 and 13 and throughout the school all the way to Reception we are considering teaching methods, monitoring methods and every little thing that can impact a child’s progress.

We wish to improve a child’s performance holistically, so alongside the excellent teaching  and thorough monitoring, there is everything that we do outside the classroom and extra-curricular pursuits that rounds a child and builds their resilience and confidence and essentially makes them safe, happy and thriving.

These skills along with the academic achievement are what enables our young people to move on to the next stage of their lives and flourish.

A full rundown of value-added by subject can be found here.

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Rydal Penrhos is now able to offer socially distanced tours to prospective pupils and their families.

For more information email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or book online at https://rydal.wpengine.com/open-days-visits.