From time to time, we are asked about the value of Private School Rankings and what role they play in the Sedberg School . The answer to the last question is more obvious than the first.
Do Private School Ratings have any value?
The question of whether rankings of private schools represent any value is determined by who reads them, and, in general, by any evaluation system that is important for understanding what they reflect. If it is important for the reader that Private Schools ratings are rated, then they have value.
If we consider them in general, the position of the school in the ratings of private schools is the result of its selective approach, the balance of educational priorities and strategies used to strengthen its position. From this it follows that, they are, apparently, useful for a parent who has access to a number of different schools and who is looking for a school that would be characterized exclusively by achievements in the scientific and educational sphere. The rating of private schools will be less informative for a parent who can seek the benefits of an extended education and assess the opportunities for developing the character and personality of his child at the same time as academic achievement.
The first rankings of private schools were published by the Telegraph in 1966 and became of value in the mid-1990s. Once they have acquired the value of the School, strategies have been developed to strengthen their positions. This concerns the request to students to stop schooling after receiving a certificate about secondary education (GCSE) or in the middle of programs A-level , if they did not reach a certain threshold. In some cases, schools opened subsidiary institutions in order to be able to divide the pupils according to their abilities and, thus, to strengthen the position of the central organization. So look some unintended side effects of Ratings of private schools.
Perhaps the best estimate is that they give an idea of ​​the School and can serve as a starting point for discussion. A very small difference in percentage will lead to a big difference in position, which will not matter for a single student. All schools are able to assess how well their students are trained in the light of their specific abilities and other Schools. This evaluation of the growth dynamics of academic indicators is more significant and is of greater interest to the parent and student.
Lack of the Sedberg School in the Ratings of Private Schools
- The Sedberg School does not provide information for Private School Rankings that do not reflect the unique nature and value of the Sedberg training. It consists of a multifaceted training that adequately covers the scientific community, the humanities and physical education, as well as social and spiritual education.Using the Olympic analogy, the ratings of private schools are the equivalent of awarding medals to the heptathlon, based only on the results of the race for 800 meters.
- The Durham University demonstrated how the A-level level of complexity of programs differs by two points between subjects (Report on points, July 2008). Fortunately, universities have realized this and even if the ratings of private schools do not take this fact into account, the Russell Group (a group of universities with the highest competition in the UK) has identified 12 "items of auxiliary importance" that they trust more than others, less than Serious subjects. The volume of subjects offered in different Schools, and the variety of examination commissions makes this a serious problem.
For these two reasons, we do not provide information in the media for the ratings of private schools.
Evaluation of Academic Achievement in the School of Sedberg
None of the above will help the parent to determine how serious the achievement is in Sedberg .
First, our set is insignificantly selective. On average, we can take about the 40th centile from the general population, and the limit ranges from an upper value of 5% of the population to the 60th centile. We are responding to this limit of ability, using clear programs in subjects from the 9th year and thus distributing the students into groups according to their abilities. This ensures the students' training at the proper level and with the proper determination.
We rate the "Dynamics of growth of academic indicators" for each level of abilities and the set of subgroups. Even though this assessment creates problems due to the fact that the students who supposedly should have received A * points can not exceed their expectations and achieve the growth dynamics of academic indicators. Because of this ceiling, our priority program receives 0.25 points on the Academic Achievement Growth Scale, despite the recorded 82% of A and A * scores in the Secondary Education Certificate (2016). Program 6, on the contrary, received an average of 0.7 on the Growth Scale of Academic Indicators in each Secondary Education Certificate compared to similar schools. Individual students can get up to 1.4 points of improvement in each secondary school certificate in comparison with their original expectations.
Another idea about the educational document of the School is given by universities in which students receive seats. In 2016, 87% of students applying to the university received seats in the institution they preferred, immediately after receiving the results, 52% got seats in the Russell University Group.
Education in Sedberg
There is no "one style fits all" policy for the Sedberg school - the needs of each student are evaluated on an individual basis and measures are taken to fulfill their special requirements. Each curator is assigned to each student, who is responsible for his academic development. The curator supervises their achievements, organizing interaction between subject teachers, senior educators, educators and parents. Almost the whole staff lives on the school grounds, which provides enough time for additional classes and independent work with the teacher.
In addition to working in the classroom, a wide range of opportunities gives students Sedberg schools their advantages when it comes to fighting for places in the best universities and job placement. Their motivational letters and personal characteristics are full of responses to public, charitable activities, fundraising, campaigns, teamwork, responsibility and a host of other related experiences.
Along with the excellent high school education of high school, Sedberg prepares his students for an interesting life.
Andrew Fleck
The principal of the school
September 2016
