RNIB Supporting people with sight lossResearch Briefing

Official data on children and young people with vision impairment in England 2016

RNIB briefing report 3: Attainment at Key Stage 4 (GCSE level)Author: Sue KeilPublisher: RNIBDate of publication: February 2017

RNIB Registered charity numbers 226227, SC039316

Abbreviations usedTerminology AbbreviationKey Stage 2 KS2Key Stage 4 KS4English Baccalaureate EBaccSpecial educational needs SENSpecific learning difficulty SpLDModerate Learning Difficulty MLDSevere Learning Difficulty SLDProfound and multiple learning difficulty PMLDBehaviour, Emotional & Social Difficulties* BESDSocial, emotional and mental health SEMHSpeech, language and communication needs SLCNHearing impairment HIVisual impairment VIMulti-sensory impairment MSIPhysical disability PDAutistic spectrum disorder ASDOther difficulty/disability OtherSEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need

NK

No secondary SEN identified No sec SEN*This category has been replaced with ‘social, emotional and mental health’ but was used prior to 2014/15.

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Key findings

Most of the official SEN data that is published by DfE relates only to pupils’ primary (or main) special educational need (SEN). The statistics presented in this briefing apply only to pupils by their primary SEN. They exclude pupils whose secondary SEN is vision impairment (VI), and therefore under-represent pupils with VI and additional SEN.

The number of pupils with VI at Key Stage 4 is also relatively small in the published statistics.

Caution should therefore be used when using the published data to benchmark local data on pupil attainment for young people with VI. This is because it is probable that VI/sensory service caseloads will include a higher proportion of young people with additional SEN than are reflected in the DfE published statistics and the two populations are therefore not directly comparable.

Just under 1,000 pupils with VI as their primary SEN were entered for GCSE examinations in 2016

Pupils with VI as their primary SEN were the highest attaining of all the SEN groups at GCSE

94% of pupils with VI were entered for GCSE maths and English Just under half (48.8%) of pupils with VI achieved A* to C grades in both

subjects compared to 63% of all pupils

43.1% of pupils with VI achieved five or more A* to C grades or equivalent including English and Maths compared with 57.4% of all pupils

28.1% of pupils with VI were entered for all five components of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which is GCSE in English, maths, science, a language, and history or geography, compared with 39.7% of all pupils who were entered 16.1% of pupils with VI achieved a grade C or above in all five components

of the English Baccalaureate compared with 24.7% of all pupils

The average Attainment 8 score for pupils with VI was 43.7 compared with a score of 49.9 for all pupils. This is 1.7 points higher than in 2014/15 for VI pupils compared to an increase of 1.5 points for all pupils

The progress between KS2 and KS4 for pupils with VI was slightly below average when compared with all pupils

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1. Introduction

The tables in this briefing use data published by the Department for Education (DfE) which are referenced at the end of the briefing.

The figures here apply to pupils in: State-funded schools including academies, free schools, city technology

colleges and further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds State funded special schools and special academies, including free schools.

They exclude: Independent schools Independent specials schools Non-maintained special schools Hospital schools Pupil referral units Alternative provision.

The statistics presented here – in accordance with most of the official SEN data that is published by DfE – applies only to pupils by their primary (or main) special educational need (SEN). They exclude pupils whose secondary SEN is VI, and are therefore an under-representation of the population of pupils with VI. By excluding pupils whose secondary SEN is VI, they also under-represent pupils with VI and additional SEN.

On a national basis in the published statistics, the number of pupils with VI in each Key Stage group is also small (less than 1,000).

Caution should therefore be used when using the published data to benchmark local data on pupil attainment for young people with VI. This is because it is probable that VI/sensory service caseloads will include a higher proportion of young people with additional SEN than are reflected in the DfE published statistics and the two populations are therefore not directly comparable.

The briefing is divided into the following sections: Attainment at GCSE Attainment in the English Baccalaureate Attainment 8 scores Progress 8 scores.

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2. Attainment of pupils with VI as their primary (main) SEN in 2015/16

The statistics provided in this report are for assessments and examinations carried out in academic year 2015/16, although in some tables there is a comparison with previous years’ results. As noted in the introduction to this briefing, they apply only to pupils whose primary SEN was VI and are therefore likely to contain a higher proportion of children with VI as their only SEN than occurs in the VI population as a whole.

In their January 2017 statistics briefing DfE notes that: “The attainment gap between pupils with SEN compared to pupils with no identified SEN remains the largest gap of all characteristics groups: pupils with SEN perform significantly worse than pupils with no identified SEN across all headline measures of attainment” (DfE, SFR03/2017, p21). This provides a context within which to consider the attainment statistics for pupils with VI that are detailed in this RNIB briefing.

2.1 Attainment at GCSE

Table 1: Pupils achieving 5 or more A* to C grades or equivalent including English and Maths at GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 by primary (main) type of SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Percentage

achievedNumber of pupils at end of KS4

SpLD 26.1% 15,790MLD 8.8% 18,651SLD 0.2% 2,234PMLD 0.8% 518SEMH 19.4% 15,790SLCN 15.4% 6,236HI 41.3% 1,635VI 43.1% 925MSI 27.1% 107PD 33.4% 2,250ASD 25.8% 7,805Other 28.4% 4,690N/K 20.2% 1,394All SEN primary need pupils 18.8% 78,682All pupils 57.4% 540,689

Just under 1,000 (925) pupils with VI as their primary SEN took GCSE examinations in 2016. Pupils with VI were the highest attaining of all the SEN

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groups, with 43.1% achieving 5 or more A* to C grades or equivalent including English and Maths at GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4. While there was a gap in attainment of 14.3% between pupils with VI and all pupils, this is a smaller gap than had been found for younger pupils at KS1 and KS2 in 2016 (see RNIB research briefing 2).

Table 2: Pupils achieving A* to C grades in English and Maths at GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 by primary (main) type of SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Percentage

enteredPercentage achieved

Number of pupils at end of KS4

SpLD 96.8% 31.7% 15,790MLD 83.6% 11.5% 18,651SLD 10.2% 0.4% 2,234PMLD 7.1% 0.8% 518SEMH 85.2% 24.4% 15,790SLCN 87.4% 19.8% 6,236HI 92.4% 47.0% 1,635VI 93.9% 48.8% 925MSI 76.6% 29.9% 107PD 84.1% 37.3% 2,250ASD 73.4% 30.6% 7,805Other 94.2% 33.7% 4,690N/K 94.8% 27.3% 1,394All SEN primary need pupils 84.5% 24.2% 78,682All pupils 96.8% 63.0% 540,689

As table 2 shows, the majority (94%) of pupils with VI as their primary SEN were entered for GCSE English and Maths at the end of KS4. Just under a half of pupils with VI achieved A* to C grades in both subjects. This compares with just under two thirds (63%) of all pupils.

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Table 3: Pupils achieving 5 A* to C grades including English and Maths at GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 by primary (main) type of SEN 2009/10 to 2015/16Pupil group

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14(1)

2014/15(2)

2015/16

SpLD 14.8% 16.9% 17.5% 18.7% 17.0% 25.1% 26.1%MLD 4.0% 4.1% 4.8% 5.1% 3.9% 7.8% 8.8%SLD 0.5% 0.5% 0.6% 0.7% 0.2% 0.7% 0.2%PMLD 1.2% 1.0% 0.7% x x 0.7% 0.8%BESD 14.3% 16.6% 17.7% 18.4% 17.0% . .SEMH . . . . . 17.9% 19.4%SLCN 11.1% 12.9% 13.1% 13.9% 12.4% 15.85 15.4%HI 36.0% 39.7% 37.4% 42.7% 36.3% 41.1% 41.3%VI 39.4% 43.9% 46.5% 45.0% 44.4% 44.7% 43.1%MSI 35.4% 26.5% 12.5% x x 28.9% 27.1%PD 29.8% 29.3% 29.6% 33.3% 29.8% 31.7% 33.4%ASD 22.3% 24.4% 23.8% 26.0% 22.0% 26.5% 25.8%Other 26.6% 28.2% 28.2% 30.5% 25.6% 28.9% 28.4%N/K (3) . . . . . 20.25 20.25All SEN primary need pupils 13.7% 15.5% 16.1% 17.4% 15.6% 20.0% 19.8%All pupils 55.15 58.2% 58.8% 60.6% 56.6% 57.1% 57.4%

Table 3 provides a comparison of GCSE results over time from 2009/10 to 2015/16. The proportion of pupils with VI achieving five A* to C grades including English and Maths at GCSE at the end of KS4 dropped slightly from a high of 46.5% in 2011/12 to 43.1% in 2015/16. A similar pattern applies to all other groups, with a drop of around three percentage points also found for all pupils (as a single group).

The difference may be explained by major reforms to KS4 qualifications introduced in 2013/14 and 2014/15, which are detailed in appendix A.

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Table 4: Pupils achieving any passes at GCSE or equivalent at the end of Key Stage 4 by primary (main) type of SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Percentage

enteredPercentage achieved

Number of pupils at end of KS4

SpLD 98.9% 98.5% 15,790MLD 91.4% 90.2% 18,651SLD 17.2% 16.8% 2,234PMLD 9.3% 9.1% 518SEMH 93.1% 90.7% 15,790SLCN 94.0% 93.1% 6,236HI 98.0% 97.6% 1,635VI 96.1% 95.8% 925MSI 80.4% 79.4% 107PD 89.0% 88.3% 2,250ASD 81.5% 80.8% 7,805Other 97.5% 96.9% 4,690N/K 97.6% 96.9% 1,394All SEN primary need pupils 90.5% 89.4% 78,682All pupils 98.3% 98.0% 540,689

Table 4 gives the proportion of pupils entered for any GCSE or equivalent examinations at the end of KS4 in 2015/16, and the proportion achieving any passes including lower than C grades.

The majority (96.1%) of pupils whose primary SEN was VI at the end of KS4 were entered for GCSE exams. Just under 96% of all KS4 pupils whose primary SEN was VI achieved passes. This is very similar to the percentages for all pupils, 98.3% of whom were entered for GCSEs with the same proportion (98.0%) achieving passes.

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2.2 Attainment in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is not a qualification in its own right, but is a performance measure for schools that is awarded when students score a grade C or above at GCSE in five academic subjects: English, mathematics, science, a language and history or geography. Further information is given in appendix B.

Table 5: Pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate at the end of Key Stage 4 by primary (main) type of SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Percentage

entered for all components

Percentage achieved all components

Number of pupils included

SpLD 13.3% 5.2% 15,126MLD 6.7% 1.4% 17,811SLD 0.2% x 2,047PMLD 0.6% x 482SEMH 12.0% 5.0% 15,174SLCN 10.1% 3.6% 5,900HI 24.6% 14.6% 1,570VI 28.1% 16.1% 890MSI 14.0% 8.4% 100PD 20.4% 11.2% 2,152ASD 14.2% 7.1% 7,480Other 18.3% 8.1% 4,388N/K 15.8% 4.8% 1,286All SEN primary need pupils 11.9% 4.9% 75,017All pupils 39.7% 24.7% 512,084

Only 28.1% of pupils with VI as their primary SEN were entered for all components (i.e. at least five core subjects) of the EBacc in 2015/16 compared with 39.7% of all pupils in state funded schools. This is approximately 250 VI pupils entered. Only 16.1% of all KS4 pupils with VI as their primary SEN achieved the required A* to C grades in all five core subjects. This compares with 24.7% of all students who achieved all components.

If we compare table 5 with table 1, which gives the percentage of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and maths, it is notable that for all pupils, as well as for pupils with VI, a far smaller proportion achieved the EBacc. This suggests that the majority of pupils took one or more subjects that were not considered one of the ‘traditional’ academic options. According to DfE (2017), the majority of pupils who were entered for only four out of the five EBacc components in 2016, did not take a language GCSE.

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Table 6: Pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate by primary (main) SEN in 2010/11 to 2015/16Pupil group 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

(1)2014/15(2)

2015/16

SpLD 1.4 1.8 2.2 2.8 4.9 5.2MLD 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.5 1.1 1.4SLD x x x x x xPMLD x x x x x xBESD 1.3 1.7 3.0 3.9 . .SEMH . . . . 4.0 5.0SLCN 1.6 2 2.4 2.7 3.4 3.6HI 7.7 6.7 11.5 12.6 14.2 14.6VI 11.1 9.6 12.8 17.2 15.4 16.1MSI x x 8.9 x x 8.4PD 5.2 6.5 9.1 9.1 10.0 11.2ASD 4.0 4.2 5.6 6.3 7.0 7.1Other 4.6 4.1 7.1 7.3 8.4 8.1N/K (3) . . . . 5.2 4.8All SEN primary need pupils 1.8 2.1 3.2 3.9 4.8 4.9All pupils 15.4 16.2 22.8 24.2 24.3 24.7

The percentage of pupils with VI achieving all five components of the EBacc has tended to fluctuate over time from 2010/11 to 2015/16, with a slight drop compared to the highest point in 2013/14. However, although the change could be explained by Key Stage 4 reforms (see appendix A), some caution is advised when interpreting these statistics due to the small numbers of pupils with VI.

2.3 Attainment 8 scoresAttainment 8 is a measure of the average achievement of pupils in up to eight subjects including English and maths. More information is provided in appendix C.

The maximum Attainment 8 score for a pupil taking only GCSE qualifications is 80, and this would be for a pupil who achieved eight A* grades at GCSE in qualifying subjects

Looking at table 7, we see that the average Attainment 8 score for pupils with VI as their primary SEN in 2016 was 43.7, compared with 49.9 for all pupils. Pupils with VI achieved the highest average score of all the SEN groups, followed closely by pupils with HI.

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Table 7: Average attainment 8 score per pupil by primary (main) SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Average attainment 8

score per pupilNumber of pupils at end of KS4

SpLD 38.1 15,790MLD 26.3 18,651SLD 2.6 2,234PMLD 2.2 518SEMH 29.9 15,790SLCN 30.4 6,236HI 42.5 1,635VI 43.7 925MSI 31.1 107PD 36.8 2,250ASD 31.2 7,805Other 37.8 4,690N/K 35.1 1,394All SEN primary need pupils 31.2 78,682All pupils 49.9 540,689

Table 8: Average attainment 8 score per pupil by primary (main) SEN in 2014/15 and 2015/16Pupil group Average

attainment 8 score per pupil in 2014/15

Average attainment 8 score per pupil in 2015/16

SpLD 35.6 38.1MLD 23.3 26.3SLD 2.7 2.6PMLD 2.3 2.2SEMH 27.3 29.9SLCN 28.4 30.4HI 41.0 42.5VI 42.0 43.7MSI 34.6 31.1PD 34.5 36.8ASD 30.0 31.2Other 36.2 37.8N/K 33.8 35.1All SEN primary need pupils 30.0 31.2All pupils 48.4 49.9

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As can be seen from table 8, in 2015/16 the average attainment 8 score for pupils with VI was 1.7 points higher than in 2014/15, which is similar to the increase found for all pupils.

2.4 Progress 8 scoresProgress 8 scores are a measure of a pupil’s progress from the end of primary school at KS2 to the end of secondary school at KS4. The greater the progress 8 score, the greater the progress made by the pupil compared to the average of pupils with similar prior attainment.

A progress 8 score of 1.0 means pupils in this group make on average a grade more progress than the national average. A score of -0.5 means they make on average half a grade less progress than average. A score below zero indicates below average progress while a score above zero denotes above average progress. Further information about Progress 8 scores is given in appendix C.

As table 9 shows, the progress of pupils with VI (-0.15) was just below average. Pupils with VI made slightly less progress between the two key stages than all pupils. However, the scores should be treated with caution and interpreted alongside the associated confidence intervals.

Table 9: Average progress 8 scores and confidence intervals, by primary (main) SEN in 2015/16Pupil group Average

progress 8 score

Lower confidence interval

Upper confidence interval

Number of pupils included

SpLD -0.07 -0.09 -0.06 15,126MLD -0.50 -0.52 -0.48 17,811SLD -1.38 -1.42 -1.33 2,047PMLD -1.37 -1.46 -1.27 482SEMH -1.18 -1.20 -1.16 15,174SLCN -0.29 -0.32 -0.26 5,900HI -0.05 -0.10 0.01 1,570VI -0.15 -0.22 -0.09 890MSI -0.50 -0.71 -0.29 100PD -0.37 -0.42 -0.33 2,152ASD -0.63 -0.65 -0.61 7,480Other -0.35 -0.38 -0.32 4,388N/K -0.46 -0.52 -0.40 1,286All SEN primary need pupils -0.55 -0.56 -0.54 75,017All pupils -0.03 -0.03 -0.03 512,084

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3. Conclusion

In 2016, pupils with vision impairment (VI) were the highest (or in some cases, second highest after HI), attaining SEN group. Nevertheless, there was still a gap between pupils with VI and all pupils of between 2.2% for pupils achieving any GCSE pass (regardless of subject or grade) and 14.3% for pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and maths at GCSE.

The progress of pupils with VI between the end of KS2 and KS4 was just below average.

These statistics should however, be treated with a degree of caution as they are not representative of the whole population of young people with VI. That is because they apply only to pupils whose primary (main) SEN was VI. We know from other data published by DfE (see RNIB research briefing 1) that pupils with VI and an additional SEN are under-represented in this group.

In conclusion, therefore, while these statistics provide valuable information about the attainment of pupils with VI at the end of Key Stage 4, local authorities that use the published data to benchmark their own data on pupil attainment should exercise extreme caution. This is because VI/sensory service caseloads will include a higher proportion of children and young people with additional SEN than are reflected in the DfE published statistics and the two populations are therefore not directly comparable.

References

DfE (19 January 2017) Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2015 to 2016. SFR03/2017, 19 January 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2015-to-2016

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Appendix A

Key Stage 4 reformsThe following information is taken from DfE table SFR03 2017 national characteristics table:

(1) In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 (KS4) performance measures data: 1) Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations which: restrict the qualifications counted; prevent any qualification from counting as larger than one GCSE; and cap the number of non-GCSEs included in performance measures at two per pupil, and 2) an early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification, in subjects counted in the English Baccalaureate.

(2) In 2014/15, early entry policy, under which only a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification is counted in performance measures, was extended to all subjects.

(3) A new code was added in 2014/15 for those who are yet to be assessed for type of need. This may include some who have transferred from School Action to SEN support.

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Appendix B

English Baccalaureate

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a performance measure for schools, awarded when students secure a grade C or above at GCSE level in five core academic subjects: English, mathematics, a science, a language and history or geography. It is not a qualification in itself.

A full list of the qualifications that count towards the EBacc can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-eligible-qualifications

For further information about the EBacc see the DfE briefing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc/english-baccalaureate-ebacc

Additional information about national performance in the EBacc can be found in the following DfE statistics briefing: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584473/SFR03_2017.pdf

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Appendix C

Attainment 8

According to DfE, Attainment 8 measures the average achievement of pupils in up to 8 qualifications including English, maths, three further qualifications that count in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and three further qualifications that can be GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or any other non-GCSE qualifications on the DfE approved list.

For each subject the student is awarded a number of points depending on what grade they achieve. Maths is ‘double weighted’ and English is ‘double weighted’ if the combined English qualification, or both language and literature are taken.The attainment 8 score is calculated based on the total number of points.

An explanation of the meaning of Attainment 8 scores is given in the DfE briefing that accompanies the published tables – see the references section of this report.

Information is also provided by the exam boards – see for example the AQA website: http://www.aqa.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/policy/gcse-and-a-level-changes/attainment-8

Progress 8

Progress 8 is based on a student’s progress measured across eight subjects as detailed in Attainment 8 above. An individual pupil’s Progress 8 score is the progress they have made from the end of primary school (the average of their KS2 English and Maths scores) to the end of secondary school at KS4 (their attainment 8 score).

The progress 8 score is calculated by comparing the pupil’s attainment 8 score with the average attainment 8 score for all pupils nationally who had a similar starting point (prior attainment) at the end of primary school.

Progress 8 is calculated for individual pupils solely in order to calculate a school’s Progress 8 score.

For further information see the following DfE guidance for schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583857/Progress_8_school_performance_measure_Jan_17.pdf

END

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