KEY STAGE 3 TEST RESULTS

This part of the Tables shows:

• the number of pupils who were at the end of KS3 and therefore eligible to take the tests in May 2005;
• the number and percentage of eligible pupils with special educational needs with and without statements as at January 2005;
• the percentage of eligible pupils in each subject who achieved Level 5 or above in English, mathematics and science tests. Level 5 or 6 is the level of achievement expected of most pupils at the end of KS3; and
• the average point score (APS).

Eligible pupils

The number of pupils eligible for KS3 assessment in the 2004/05 school year is shown for each school. All pupils - including those with special educational needs - are eligible for assessment under the National Curriculum when they reach the end of KS3. Most will be aged 14 by the end of the school year. Some, however, will be older or younger. This number includes all eligible pupils on the school roll at the time of the tests in May 2005 - regardless of whether or not they sat the test. For example, a pupil may have been absent, or working at the level of the test but unable to access it.

Eligible pupils with special educational needs (SEN)

The Tables also show how many of the pupils eligible for KS3 assessment had SEN. Some of these pupils may not have taken the tests - because they were working below the level assessed by the tests, or because they were working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This will affect the school's overall results.

Level 5 or above at KS3

The Tables show the percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above in the KS3 tests for English, mathematics and science. Level 5/6 is the level expected of most 14 year olds. This percentage is based on all eligible pupils, including those who were absent at the time of the tests or unable to access them and, therefore, did not achieve a result. We include all eligible pupils in our calculations to ensure that the Tables give more comprehensive information about school performance.

What a schools' attainment measures tell you

Percentage of pupils absent or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them

The National Curriculum assessments have been designed to make sure that as many pupils as possible can be assessed. Parents cannot withdraw their children from any part of the National Curriculum.

Some pupils were absent from school at the time the tests were taken in May 2005 (perhaps due to illness) and did not achieve a test level.

A very small number of pupils may be unable to access some, or all, of the tests, even with special arrangements. These pupils are assessed as working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. This can happen if all or part of a test is not suitable for a pupil with particular special educational needs, though the tests are designed to cater for most pupils with special educational needs.

Each school's results at Level 5 or above are based on the results of all pupils at the end of KS3, including those who were absent on the day of the test or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them. Because those pupils are included in the calculations but did not achieve a test level, they may disproportionately affect a school's results. To help you take this into account, the percentage of eligible pupils who were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the test but unable to access them is shown alongside the percentage achieving Level 5 or above. The higher the percentage of those pupils, the more a school's results may have been affected by pupils with no test results.

Adjustments to the number of eligible pupils

The results for some schools have been adjusted. Some schools requested that pupils recently admitted from overseas with little or no English be discounted from the figures. This is allowed where the pupil was admitted for the first time to an English school in the 2003/04 or 2004/05 school year from outside the United Kingdom, and their first language is not English. The Government accepts that these pupils are unlikely to be able to show what they can do in the tests until they have improved their English language skills and are more familiar with the school curriculum in this country.

Average point score (APS)

The average point score provides a fuller picture of the KS3 achievements of pupils of all abilities. Two schools with similar percentages of pupils achieving Level 5 or above may have different APS scores. The APS values the achievements of pupils below the Level 5 threshold, by taking account of whether pupils attain Level 4 or not.

The APS is calculated by using the following formula:

(Total points for English + Total points for maths + Total points for science) / (Total number of eligible pupils for each subject) = APS

The total points for each subject are calculated by awarding each pupil a number of points, according to the table below, and then adding the total points together. This gives you the total points for a subject.

The APS calculation does not include those pupils that were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them.

See the following table for the points awarded per subject per pupil.

More information on the calculation of the average point score can be found in the 'Value Added Technical Information' section.

Year on year comparison

We now have a four year time series to show how the achievements of pupils in each school have changed over the past four years. A bar chart shows the aggregate of the three percentages of pupils achieving Level 5 or above in the English, mathematics and science tests in each of the years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The aggregate is calculated as follows:

What the year on year comparison tells you