{"id":241789,"date":"2026-02-17T11:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=241789"},"modified":"2026-02-17T11:34:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:34:52","slug":"grammars-shine-in-unfair-mat-league-tables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/grammars-shine-in-unfair-mat-league-tables\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammars shine in \u2018unfair\u2019 MAT league tables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Academy chiefs have railed against new MAT league tables for failing to \u201creflect the progress students make in non-selective schools\u201d, after dozens dropped places amid changes to the way trusts are ranked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the top three-ranked trusts in newly published tables run grammar schools,\u00a0Schools Week<\/a><\/em>\u00a0can reveal, up from zero last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The analysis also shows that a number of serial high performers suffered after the progress 8 performance measure was put on pause for two years. Meanwhile, others climbed the table despite posting worse results.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s at the top? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Progress 8, which measures the progress between the end of primary school and GCSEs, cannot be calculated this year and next because SATs were cancelled during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the government\u2019s performance website<\/a> now defaults to ranking MATs by attainment 8 scores. The measure scores pupils across eight GCSE subjects, including English and maths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Girls\u2019 Learning Trust \u2013 which runs three schools in London \u2013 topped the league table. It rose from fourth last year, even though its attainment 8 score reduced slightly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was joined in the top three by the Twyford Church of England Academies Trust and King Edward VI Academy Trust Birmingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO Dr Thomas Flynn said he didn\u2019t believe league tables were a \u201cparticularly meaningful way\u201d of comparing trusts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His trust\u2019s results are \u201ca testament to the skill, commitment and hard work of our teachers and staff, and to the ambition and dedication of our students\u201d. But he acknowledged being a \u201crelatively small\u201d chain \u201cwith [two] selective schools in it inevitably shapes headline measures\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selective schools better off?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of the trusts in the top 10, four run selective schools. The figure stood at two last year, with none coming higher than fourth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, Twyford was the only trust in the top three that did not run a grammar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice Hudson, its CEO, would \u201cwelcome the return of a measure which affirms and encourages students by celebrating the distance travelled as well as recognising the different contexts in which schools and MATs are working\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our analysis shows 21 of those within the 50 highest trusts this year registered lower GCSE results than 12 months ago. Fourteen improved their position in the table despite this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Superficial\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-two of the MATs in last year\u2019s top 50 have dropped out. The South Lincolnshire Academies Trust slipped to 158th. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO Jemma Curson argued that the use of attainment 8 data \u201cdoes not reflect the progress students make in non-selective schools\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jemma Curson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The trust included a new school which joined the chain after being rated \u2018inadequate\u2019 by Ofsted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has since been rated \u2018good\u2019, but Curson added that the \u201cexceptional progress students have made [there]\u2026 has not yet been recognised\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian Rogers, CEO of Chiltern Learning Trust, said using the measure \u201cto compare school performance and league table schools is inappropriate and superficial\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis comparison is too crude to help school leaders or parents. Schools with lower pupil attainment on entry will be judged unfairly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His MAT went from traditionally being \u201cin the top 20, and often top 10,\u201d to 60th this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biggest jumps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our findings show 17 MATs entered the top 50 this year. The Bright Futures Educational Trust witnessed the largest rise, leaping from 188th to 28th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Adrian Rogers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop Fraser Trust moved from 109th to 48th. Dr Tuesday Humby, its CEO, said this was despite the prior attainment of her pupils being \u201cclose to national\u201d across her academies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our analysis also shows more trusts from the South-east made their way into the top 50. Twenty per cent were based there, compared to 12 per cent last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South-east, London and East of England had the joint highest number of MATs in the list. Meanwhile, Yorkshire and the Humber witnessed the biggest drop (six percentage points). It came joint bottom with the West Midlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairer measures?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the absence of progress 8, Dave Thomson, chief statistician at FFT Education Datalab, said the government had two options that would have been fairer than attainment 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One would have been to use the previous year\u2019s estimated attainment 8 score and compare it with results for 2024-25 to \u201ccreate a proxy\u201d progress 8 figure. The other would involve \u201ceach school\u2019s A8 score with the average of a set of similar\u201d secondaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomson noted that \u201c60 per cent of the variation in pupils’ attainment 8 scores can be explained by their prior attainment\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, progress 8 replaced five A*-C including English and maths as the main performance metric for secondary schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has pledged to \u201creform\u201d the measure \u2013 which could return in two years\u2019 time. But previous FFT analysis suggests the changes will make \u201clittle difference\u201d to the scores of most schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two of the top three-ranked trusts run grammar schools,\u00a0up from zero last year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":241624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32,28,239],"post-theme":[2381],"class_list":["post-241789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-academies","tag-dfe","tag-education-policy","post-theme-academies"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t