School League Tables Are Out - But How Accurate Are They?
The latest school league tables are out - and there's good and bad news for Merseyside's schools.
Liverpool's Blue Coat School in Wavertree has been named the best school in the city - with 100% of its pupils receiving GCSE's graded A star to C.
Others singled out for praise with good results include Wirral Grammar School for Girls, Upton Hall School FCJ, Calday Grange Grammar School and West Kirby Grammar School.
But other schools have been identified as needing improvement.
Eight in Liverpool - including five academies - are on a list of hundreds of schools nationally which aren't meeting Government targets at the moment.
Enterprise South Liverpool Academy, King's Leadership Academy, Kirkby High School, North Liverpool Academy, The Academy of St Francis of Assisi, The De La Salle Academy, Halewood Academy, and Gateacre School are all highlighted as needing to make improvements.
But speaking to Radio City News, Peter Glover from the National Union of Teachers in Liverpool says they're sceptical about how valuable league tables actually are.
"We think there's a lot of information parents can get about schools, without the need to name and shame. What the league tables will tell us is that schools in affluent areas are doing very well. Now, that's no surprise. And that schools in challenging, inner-city areas, do not get as good GCSE results."
"Now, that does not mean that teachers in those inner city areas, are not fantastic. Teachers in Liverpool schools are working 60, 70 hours - and they're putting everything into those children. The teachers in those schools, deserve a medal."
Peter continues, "I'm not saying there aren't problems within certain schools. But what I'm saying is that league tables, don't give you the information to make that decision. It is a class war - lets make that straightforward. The Government are doing their very best to support certain areas, their constituencies, but not areas up north. The league tables are a sham - and it's a game that's being played to reinforce the class divide."
Peter advises parents not to rely solely on league tables, when it comes to choosing their education for their child.
"Go to the school yourself. Speak to the parents, look at the prospectus. And also, you just get a feel if you go to a school - whether the teachers are going to be good for your child or not."