This report is based on the Department for Education (DfE) School Comparison data for England for the academic year 2018-2019. As a result of the pandemic, the DfE will not be publishing any school or college level educational performance data based on tests, assessments or exams for 2020 or 2021.
Girls’ A Level Entries in Maths and Science subjects – 2018-2019
DfE release KS5 (A level) entries by school for Maths, Further Maths and Science subjects, split by gender and type of school, allowing us to analyse the performance of girls by the type of school they attend. The data shows that:
- Girls in girls’ schools (of all types) are 2.5 times as likely to take Further Maths and Physics – compared to girls in other schools.
- The uptake of other sciences is also higher with Biology 40% higher, Chemistry 77% higher and Computer Science 72% higher in girls’ schools compared to girls in other schools.
KS4 and KS5 attainment data – 2018-19
The DfE 16-18 performance tables report achievements of students aged 16 to 18 who are at the end of advanced level study, (the end of Key Stage 5 or KS5). The analysis below uses the average point score per A level entry for students who were entered for at least one AS or A level qualification.
The Key Stage 4 (KS4) data reports the achievements of students using the Attainment 8 measure which allocates points according to grades achieved by pupils in their best 8 subjects at GCSE level (including Maths and English).
The data shows that:
- On average, students in girls’ schools outperform students in co-ed schools, at both KS4 and KS5
- Girls in girls’ schools perform higher than students in co-ed schools across all schools and also when looking at independent schools only
KS5 A Level data
- Higher attainment can be seen when looking at all subjects as a whole, and also for Maths and English separately
Weighted Attainment 8 scores (KS4) – All Schools
