I AM sure many parents were keen to read the primary league tables produced by the DFES, and published in the Bury Times ('Pupils outshine average score in national tests', December 8).
As a parent governor at Greenmount Primary School, I obviously wish to applaud all of the children (at all schools) who performed so creditably.
However, I do have concerns about the way league tables are published. If league tables are for public consumption, used to help parents choose and assess the performance of schools, then a fuller picture should be portrayed. For example, at Greenmount the published results were thus: Greenmount's Level 4 results (average expected attainment) - English, 100% Mathematics, 97% Science, 97%.
However, at Level 5 (above average expected attainment but not published), the scores were: English, 71% Mathematics, 82% Science, 82%, which are among some of the highest nationally, achieved not by cramming for SATS, but by creative, imaginative and balanced teaching, directed at developing the whole child, not simply their academic performance.
More information about school performances is available on the DfES website www.dfes.gov.uk
I should recommend all parents to look at these to gain a fuller picture of their child's school.
DAWN ROBINSON-WALSH
Blacksnape Road
Lancashire
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