Early GCSE school tables are published

The tables are based on provisional results from this year's GCSEs

The education department is publishing league tables for secondary schools in England, based on provisional data from this summer's GCSE results.

The aim is to give up-to-date information to parents submitting application forms for secondary school places this month for September 2016.

Full secondary school league tables will be published in January as usual.

Head teachers warned the partial, provisional tables may give parents an "inaccurate and incomplete picture".

The Department for Education data, to be published at 09:30 BST on Thursday, will include the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths.

They will also show the percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (GCSEs at grades A* to C, including maths, English, two science qualifications, a foreign language and either history or geography).

But the tables will be based on results given out in August, before the appeals process took place, and will not include subsequent changes to grades following re-marks.

In 2014, more than 54,000 GCSE grades were changed after being challenged.

The Association of School and College Leaders said the tables could be misleading

School admissions deadline

Announcing plans to publish "early" league tables, in July, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said it would provide parents with a more informed choice.

The Department for Education said: "By improving the timeliness and accessibility of these statistics, this will also mean that results are published in advance of the 31 October deadline for secondary school admission applications.

"This will support parents who may wish to use the information when applying for a secondary school place for their child."

But the Association of School and College Leaders said there were "serious problems" with the information being published early.

ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman said: "It's not uncommon for schools to have several grades altered after challenges to results, and this can have a dramatic effect on performance tables.

"There is a real risk that the information being published early will not accurately reflect the achievements of some schools, and this may have a damaging effect on them and give parents an impression which is not correct."

'Progress'

Mr Lightman also expressed concern that the October tables would not show the level of pupils' progress.

"We are also concerned that the performance measures which are being published are all about exam grades and make no reference to the progress made by pupils.

"Parents need a rounded picture when they choose a secondary school. Presenting them with only half of the picture is misleading."

Brian Lightman says pupils' progress is ignored in these provisional tables

For some schools, the provisional October tables will also show the percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate and any other three qualifications on the DfE approved list.

This new accountability measure, Attainment 8, will come into force next academic year for all schools - but they were given the chance to opt into it a year early if they wished.