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City College Dismayed Over Misleading League Tables

13 January 2006

Ann Smith, the Principal of City College, has expressed her dismay over the Government's delayed publication of new league tables giving parents the best advice on post-16 education. According to the Further Education sector, the Post-16 Achievement and Attainment Tables to be released on January 19th continue to mislead parents and students and discriminate against many further education colleges. The new league tables will show how well students have improved in any school or college and were due to be published this year but have now been delayed until 2007.

Pilot 'equivalency' tables that take account of a wider range of subjects are being published this year for the first time, but they still fail to incorporate many qualifications studied in colleges.

Ann Smith, Principal of City College

Ann Smith, Principal of City College

Ann Smith says:

'The whole of a student's programme needs to be calculated to get a proper measure of achievement, not just the few qualifications counted in the current main league tables. The existing tables fail to take into account the value a college like ours can add to their learners' experience. They do not recognise FE Colleges' successes in helping those learners with low achievements on entry to college and most at risk of dropping out of education and training.'

The College's criticisms of the tables are backed by the Association of Colleges. Maggie Scott, Director of Learning and Quality, says:

"AoC is disappointed that the publication of the new value added tables has been delayed until 2007. Parents simply aren't being given access to the fullest range of data this year. Colleges are right to be angry and disturbed that their successes in helping high achievers and those who performed less well in school aren't reflected in these tables. They are being compared unfavourably in a public forum with institutions that restrict their intake to high achievers only. While we welcome the introduction of pilot equivalency tables it is also disappointing to see that they still fail to take into account level 2 qualifications, which many students aged 16 and over study in colleges. General FE Colleges have done what Government asked them and by encouraging people to stay in education and training when they might have dropped out. This year these league tables once again punish colleges for doing so and continue to confuse students and parents about their best options.'

For further information, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk

About City College Brighton and Hove: Founded over 100 years ago, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international Centre of excellence. Every year around 16,000 full and part time students, as well as many international and European students, choose City College as their education provider. Offering over 650 courses from basic level to pre-University level, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.

Notes to Editors:

1. The league tables discriminate against colleges with mixed-economy students - those studying A-levels and certain vocational courses such as NVQs, and City & Guilds qualifications, - because this vocational element of the students' education does not contribute to their points score and the average for the institution suffers unfairly.

2. The scoring system is particularly crude. As a student, the more A-levels you do, the more points you score. Students achieving low marks for a wider variety of courses will score more points than students achieving higher grades for a more limited range of courses. There is no reflection of the quality of teaching or the prior attainment of the student. Colleges pride themselves in matching the right qualification to the right student, rather than aiming to encourage students to take more of the qualifications that will help the institution climb the league tables.

3. Because a wide variety of vocational education is not counted in the tables, a major section of the good work that colleges do is simple disregarded.

4. They take no account of the progress of students through the institution and pit colleges against institutions who only take in high achievers.