College says league tables are overrated
EQUIPPING STUDENTS to deal with the pressures of everyday life and ensuring they are wellrounded individuals is more important than league table results, leaders at Leeds City College have stressed.
Last month new data released by the Department for Education revealed that the college fell below the Government’s minimum standards in 2017 when judged by two new measures, Progress 8 and Attainment 8.
This “misleading” measure saw the college named amongst the city’s most underperforming secondaries.
Niki McKenna, deputy head of the college’s 14+ Apprenticeship Academy, said: “We are an alternative option and we help those who are currently not succeeding in education.
“We offer a more supportive environment, smaller class sizes and a really big lean on employability and preparing learners for the future.
Mr McKenna said that for the fourth year running, the academy was able to boast a 100 per cent achievement rate in terms of students entering post-16 education.
He said: “Every learner has gone on to either higher education or an apprenticeship. If they don’t need 14 GCSEs to do that, we don’t need to give them 14. With Progress 8, schools pick the best eight, but when you are only doing five or six, you can’t even get to eight. That is why we are vehemently against it. Learners should be judged on their overall successes, not one aspect.”
Mr McKenna said students left the college as better people, mentally, emotionally and were more resilient, which he considered a “massive success”.
Head Alan McKenna added: “Many of the colleges that were set up to offer this kind of provision have decided not to bother anymore because of reputation when it comes to league tables.”