Raising School Performance in the League Tables (Part 1): Disentangling the effects of social disadvantage

Abstract

The article uses data from a longitudinal study of over 300 secondary schools to investigate differences in the rate at which schools improved General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination results over the period 1991-98 and the reasons for such differences. Two variables found to have the most impact on examination improvement were a low concentration of social disadvantage relative to other local schools and starting from a low base level of GCSE results. Furthermore, schools with high concentrations of social disadvantage were liable to suffer a dual handicap as their relative social disadvantage tended to worsen over time. Schools with better examination improvement slightly increased their budget share per pupil over the period studied while those performing least well experienced a reduction in budget share per pupil.