Abstract:
This paper challenges the view that the value added score published forall publicly funded secondary schools in England is an efficientindicator of school performance.
Regression analysis is used toestimate the impact of school-related and pupil-related variables onvalue added. Although value added is significantly related to severalschool-related factors (such as the quality of teaching, subjectspecialism and admissions policy), a substantial proportion of thebetween-school variation in the value added score is accounted for byfactors outside of the school's control.
Pupil-related variablessignificantly associated with value added include the proportion ofpupils eligible for free school meals, the ethnic background of pupilsand the authorised absence rate of each school’s pupils.
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