INTRODUCTION

These Tables give information on the achievement and attainment of pupils in local secondary schools, and how they compare with other schools in the local authority (LA) area and in England as a whole.

The Tables show:

• Key Stage 2 (KS2) to Key Stage 4 (KS4) and Key Stage 3 (KS3) to Key Stage 4 value added measures. These measures show the achievements of pupils over a period of time. The measures show the progress made by individual pupils from one stage of their education to another;
• attainment in GCSE (and equivalent) qualifications (e.g. vocationally related qualifications (VRQs), NVQs, Entry Level Qualifications (ELQs) etc) for pupils who were at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2004/05 school year;
• rates of pupil absence from school, both with permission and without; and
• background information on each school, including its name, address and telephone number.

The information in the tables gives only part of the picture of each school's and its pupils' achievements. Schools change from year to year and their future results may differ from those achieved by current pupils. A school's value added (VA) measures give a better indication of its overall effectiveness than attainment measures, such as percentages reaching particular thresholds. The Tables should be considered alongside other important sources of information such as Ofsted reports, school prospectuses and School Profiles. Maintained schools, Academies and City Technology Colleges must provide parents with prospectuses on request.

Governors' Annual Reports have been replaced by School Profiles which will be available in the spring. The School Profile has been developed after consultation with schools, local authorities, governors, parents and pupils. It will include sections on the school's performance as well as narrative sections for the school to complete under a range of headings, including recent successes and intended improvements.

School Profiles will be accessible in the spring at www.parentscentre/schoolprofile

Parents may be interested to see the Ofsted report for a school. Ofsted school inspection reports can be obtained from Ofsted's website at www.ofsted.gov.uk or direct from the school.

All secondary schools in each Local authority Area are listed in alphabetical order, including:

• LA maintained schools;
• Academies;
• City Technology Colleges;
• Independent schools; and
• Special schools (for pupils with special educational needs requiring special teaching and facilities).