Schools ‘should be ranked on exclusion rates’
Experts fear for vulnerable students
MULTI-ACADEMY trusts and other groups of schools should be measured on whether they exclude or off-roll vulnerable pupils, education experts have suggested.
A new research paper from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) suggests that groups of schools should be judged on a wider range of measures to check how inclusive they are of vulnerable pupils.
The report comes following widespread concern regarding the practice of “off-rolling”, where pupils have “unexplained exits” from school rolls, sometimes shortly before they are due to sit GCSEs.
The report said the current practice of measuring school groups’ performance by focusing on pupils’ progress or the grades they achieve is a “serious limitation” which can lead to “perverse incentives” to off-roll vulnerable pupils or exclude them.
Some high-performing schools in wealthier areas do not admit a proportionate number of disadvantaged pupils from their local catchment, the report said.
It added that for schools to be considered inclusive, “cohorts should not become more socially selective as they move through the school”, as this would suggest pupils with additional learning needs or from particular social or ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be excluded or off-rolled.
The EPI suggested a wider range of measures to check how inclusive school groups are should be used, including how likely a pupil eligible for free school meals is to apply and be accepted for a place at the schools; rates of repeated fixed-term exclusions; and the average number of “unexplained” exits in a group of schools per term, which could indicate whether high numbers of vulnerable pupils are being offrolled.
The attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers within a school group would also be measured. School groups could also be judged on whether their intake reflects their local area’s ethnic diversity, with measures introduced to explore the numbers of pupils from black African, black Caribbean, Asian and other white backgrounds who apply and are admitted to a school group.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The EPI is quite right to highlight that measuring multi-academy trusts (Mats) and other school groups on pupil progress and attainment alone could create problems that can lead, in some circumstances, to serious consequences for vulnerable students.
“The idea of introducing performance measures that recognise the good work that most schools do in prioritising inclusion and supporting vulnerable children is well observed and something we have already identified as beneficial.
“Unfortunately, schools often feel that performance tables are deeply unfair so it is vital that any new measure has the confidence and support of the sector rather than feeling like another stick with which to beat schools.”
Schools often feel that performance tables are deeply unfair. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton.