Resources
Download this reportTop 1000 Schools
Inside this issue
• Award schemes that promote lateral thinking and leadership skills
• Many parents are digging deep to send their children to private school
• View the FT Secondary School Ranking 2011
• Your guide to the best schools in England: interactive map - -
Content
Westminster School retains top spot
Competition in the FT’s league tables is fierce but they hide a depressing reality, writes Chris Cook
Testing regime: Focus on results fails to please employers
Measuring pupil success is hurting achievement, writes Warwick Mansell
Qualifications: What universities really want from pupils
Claims for International Baccalaureate need to be taken with pinch of salt, says Liz Lightfoot
Life skills: Outside activities add to the mix
There should be more to school than exams, writes Gerald Haigh
Parental sacrifice: Independents shrug off recession
Families see a good education as an investment, reports Jill Parkin
Gender divide: Exam change may boost boys
David Turner asks if a return to O-level style final tests could favour male students
Budget concerns: Coalition cuts lead to fears for services
Local authorities are being squeezed by government spending cuts, writes Charles Batchelor
System redesign: Teaching is more important than structures
Even more new types of schools are on the way but what should parents think? Charles Batchelor reports
Methodology: Understanding the top 1,000 schools league table
The introduction of the A* grade at A-level in 2010, valued at 300 QCDA points, and the inclusion of Pre-U exam results in our table for the first time, make comparisons with data for previous years difficult
