Eligible pupils

The number of pupils eligible for KS3 assessment in the 2002/03 school year is shown for each school. All pupils - including those with special educational needs - are eligible for assessment under the National Curriculum when they reach the end of KS3. Most will be aged 14 by the end of the school year. Some, however, will be older or younger. This number includes all eligible pupils on the school roll at the time of the tests in May 2003 - regardless of whether or not they sat the test (for example because a pupil was absent or disapplied).

Eligible pupils with special educational needs (SEN)

The tables also show how many of the pupils eligible for KS3 assessment had special educational needs. Some of these pupils may not have taken the tests - because they were working at a level below that assessed by the tests, or because they were disapplied. This will affect the school's overall results.

Absent pupils

Some pupils were absent from school at the time that some or all of the tests were taken in May 2003 (perhaps due to illness) and did not achieve a test level.

Disapplied pupils

The National Curriculum assessments have been designed to make sure that as many pupils as possible can be assessed. Parents cannot withdraw their children from any part of the National Curriculum. There may, however, be a very small number of pupils who are unable to take part in some or all of the assessment arrangements, even allowing for the full range of special arrangements. Usually this only happens if all or part of the National Curriculum is not suitable for a pupil because he or she has certain special educational needs. The assessments are designed to cater for most pupils with special educational needs.

Adjustments to the number of eligible pupils

The results for some schools have been adjusted. Some schools requested that pupils recently admitted from overseas with little or no English be discounted from the figures. This has been agreed where the pupil was admitted to the school in the 2001/02 or 2002/03 school year from outside the United Kingdom, and their first language is not English. The Government accepts that these pupils will not do their best in examinations until they have improved their English language skills and are more familiar with the school curriculum in this country.