BOLTON Community College and Bolton Sixth Form College have defended their performance in the league tables.

Both colleges scored less than the national and local average for the points scored per student in AS and A-level, or equivalent, examinations.

The scores put the colleges in the bottom three for their post-16 results, with Canon Slade School and Turton School's sixth forms being in the top, when excluding independent schools.

Bolton Community College's average was 541.2, and the sixth form's was 592. The borough's average was 682.7 and the country's average score was 731.1.

Wilf Cox, vice-principal at Bolton Community College, said: "Bolton Community College is a vocational college and as such we do not offer AS or A-Level qualifications.

"By including college equivalency qualifications in with AS/A-Levels, the league table picture is rather distorted, as you are not comparing like with like.

"Our diploma courses are equivalent to two or three A-Levels. Also, diplomas are a two-year course and the first year is not recognised in the tables, unlike the AS-level qualification.

"Only college students who successfully complete at the end of the second year are included as an outcome."

Roy Whittle, principal at Bolton Sixth Form, said his college was not selective.

He said: "The college recognises that parents and prospective students are entitled to as much information as is possible to make informed choices about institutions.

"Unfortunately, the annual performance tables are unhelpful in that they do not compare the progress made by students in relation to the GCSE qualifications that they had achieved at the age of 16.

"Bolton Sixth Form College offers opportunities to marginally qualified students who would not be accepted in more selective sixth forms. The college annually compares the average score achieved by students with the number entered by other providers in the town.

"Using this measure, the college is in the top three of providers.

"It is important to emphasise that our brightest students achieved top grades, while our marginally qualified students made excellent progress."

View the secondary school performance tables in full here.

9:07am Thursday 10th January 2008

Print

Email this