Top-performing schools with high Progress 8 for Disadvantaged students in 2023
Discover the top 25, learn from 10 observations about the list and ask us to dig deeper into the data for you.
Each year the publication of DfE school performance measures gives us an incredible opportunity to celebrate what’s working - which we don’t do enough - and learn from it.
This post, which as ever, was expertly produced by our awesome Head of Learning & Insight, Frances Ling, will help you learn:
which 84 schools helped their disadvantaged students achieve +0.5 Progress 8
how to meet and learn from the people who work at those schools
how results compare across the county (*with caution*)
how to save your leadership team dozens of hours wading through DfE data by commissioning us to do it for you.
Why? Because…
We - schools - Are In Beta - always learning (when we seek out what’s working and share it).
🔬Top-performing schools with high P8 for disadvantaged students in 2023
Before I reveal who the top 25 secondary schools are, two things:
a cautionary note and
3 observations we made about the schools on the list.
⚠️A cautionary note.
Like last year, we release this cautiously.
Progress 8 is not perfect as a measure.
This cohort of Year 11s suffered considerable disruption during covid and not all equally.
Numerous factors were out of schools’ control in securing strong results for every student in every subject that underpins the highest P8's.
That said, from these schools, we're looking to find tantalising *hints* of practice that are remarkable and all schools can learn from.
This approach will never find all brilliant schools and leaders, but it offers a place to start.
A place to take an idea or inspiration and, through our content, consider if something might just work for you too.
🔎 3 observations about schools who achieved high Progress 8 for Disadvantaged students
What did Fran notice about the top 84 secondary schools?
Here are 3 of the 10 questions she asked when looking at the data:
📈 1. For each school in the list, what is their track record of P8 in previous years?
Half of all schools (42) schools also appeared in the equivalent search from 2022 meaning they have secured +0.5 P8 for disadvantaged students for last year and this.
Of the schools newly in the list, three schools stand-out for achieving a very large increase in P8 for disadvantaged students:
Eden Boys' School, Birmingham with an increase of +1.14 between 2022 to 2023;
Uffculme School in Exeter an increase of +1.24;
Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form in Kingston an increase of +1.1.
📊 2. What was the gap in progress between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students?
13/84 schools (15%) had a gap of less than 0.1 between progress for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.
📍3. Where are these schools in the country?
Schools are spread around the country but a large proportion of them, 52/84 (62%), are in London.
Interestingly, this is the same proportion as the set in 2022 and 2019. It is 4x more than the proportion of similar schools that are in London (16% of all 2313 non-selective schools with 100+ KS4 pupils in P8 of whom 25+ are disadvantaged).
The West Midlands is the next region with most schools, 11, in the top 84 list, representing the 13% share of top-performers and in-line with the proportion of all similar schools in the region.
Want to read the other 7 observations? Questions to consider:
How many were academies?
How many were single sex?
How many were faith based?
How many pupils were in each year 11 cohort?
What was their Ebacc uptake?
How many subjects did they offer?
Which buckets led to the greatest gains in P8?
Find, filter and search all the Progress 8 data for top performing schools 2023
If data is your thing, Fran’s put together a database that can help you find schools in your area and/or with similar intakes to learn from.
Top 25 secondary schools for progress for disadvantaged pupils in 2023.
Using this methodology, Fran found 84 schools where each of the 5,158 disadvantaged students in these schools achieved, on average, more than half a grade higher across all subjects than if they went elsewhere.
Phenomenal achievements 👏
The top 25 secondary schools for progress for disadvantaged pupils in 2023 are:
#1 Michaela Community School achieved +2.04 P8 for 30 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Michaela Community Schools Trust, in Brent.
#2 Eden Boys' School, Birmingham achieved +1.64 P8 for 45 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Birmingham.
#3 Eden Girls' School Coventry achieved +1.37 P8 for 40 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Coventry.
#4 Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest achieved +1.35 P8 for 46 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Waltham Forest.
#5 Ealing Fields High School achieved +1.3 P8 for 38 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Twyford Church Of England Academies Trust, in Ealing.
#6 Eden Boys' School, Preston achieved +1.28 P8 for 30 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Lancashire.
#7 Eden Girls' School, Slough achieved +1.24 P8 for 28 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Slough.
#8 St Paul's School for Girls achieved +1.23 P8 for 51 disadvantaged pupils. In Birmingham.
#9 Swanlea School achieved +1.17 P8 for 115 disadvantaged pupils. In Tower Hamlets.
#10 Sacred Heart Catholic School achieved +1.16 P8 for 49 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Sacred Heart Catholic School, in Southwark.
#11 Bolton Muslim Girls School achieved +1.06 P8 for 26 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Prosper Multi Academy Trust, in Bolton.
#12 Levenshulme High School achieved +1.02 P8 for 83 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Education And Leadership Trust, in Manchester.
#13 Whitmore High School achieved +1.01 P8 for 66 disadvantaged pupils. In Harrow.
#14 Burnage Academy for Boys achieved +1 P8 for 58 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Burnage Academy For Boys, in Manchester.
#15 Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy achieved +1 P8 for 62 disadvantaged pupils. Part of The Mossbourne Federation, in Hackney.
#16 Tolworth Girls' School and Sixth Form achieved +1 P8 for 27 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Tolworth Girls' School And Sixth Form, in Kingston upon Thames.
#17 Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School achieved +0.97 P8 for 25 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Star Academies, in Blackburn with Darwen.
#18 St Ursula's Convent School achieved +0.97 P8 for 26 disadvantaged pupils. In Greenwich.
#19 Loxford School achieved +0.96 P8 for 97 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Loxford School Trust Limited, in Redbridge.
#20 London Academy achieved +0.94 P8 for 82 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Aim Academies Trust, in Barnet.
#21 Ashcroft Technology Academy achieved +0.94 P8 for 60 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Prospect Education (Technology) Trust Limited, in Wandsworth.
#22 Mossbourne Community Academy achieved +0.91 P8 for 88 disadvantaged pupils. Part of The Mossbourne Federation, in Hackney.
#23 Paddington Academy achieved +0.9 P8 for 87 disadvantaged pupils. Part of United Learning Trust, in Westminster.
#24 The St Thomas the Apostle College achieved +0.9 P8 for 62 disadvantaged pupils. In Southwark.
#25 Bishopshalt School achieved +0.9 P8 for 41 disadvantaged pupils. Part of Bishopshalt School, in Hillingdon.
Want to watch sessions and download resources these schools have shared with the community?
Save hours and hours researching successful schools - ask us to deep deeper into the data for you.
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On a personal note
A sneak peek into my DMs to explain why we do what we do:
Headteacher member:
DM: “I mentioned your work today to someone from the at Sutton Trust who’d not heard about it.”
*Member shares screen shot of conversation with Sutton Trust and shares it with Niall*
Sutton Trust colleague:
“Myself and two other ST colleagues have been looking at their [We Are In Beta] research all morning”
“It’s an incredible platform. Thanks for highlighting it to me”.
*Niall strikes up conversation with Sutton Trust Colleague about We Are In Beta’s work*
*Sutton Trust colleague share they they think*
Why am I telling you this?
One, I want to signpost the Sutton Trust project here.
Two, finding and sharing success, where statistically it’s much harder to achieve, is really important to us.
Recognition of that from social mobility thought leaders is hugely encouraging for a tiny little start up like us.
Added to that, it reminds me of why we do what we do. So too does this incredible list of sessions, resources and research featuring our member schools in the list above.
Here’s to every school, leader and teacher doing the very best by every student regardless of their background - you are all legends.
Agree? Celebrate them with us…
Thanks for reading.
@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team
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