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Independent schools were the highest performing school type in 2018 based on their pupils’ A-level attainment, according to new data from the Department for Education.

According to today’s figures, the average point score (APS) per entry for A-level students in independent schools was 41.02 – which, expressed as a grade, is equivalent to a B.

APS is calculated by dividing the total point score by the total size of entries. It gives an indication of the average result achieved per qualification taken and provides a comparison of achievement over time, regardless of the volume of qualifications taken.

Across all schools, A-level attainment increased for students in 2018, with the APS per entry rising from 32.12 in 2017 to 33.05 this year.

Read more at: https://www.tes.com/news/revealed-level-results-school-type

Rates reforms ‘may force some private schools out of business’

Scottish private schools have claimed that plans to withdraw their charitable status may drive them out of business.

Some have said that the reforms, proposed in a review of non-domestic rates by the former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Ken Barclay, would force them to raise fees and cut bursaries.

Across nursery, primary and secondary levels, 29,664 pupils were educated independently in Scotland in 2017-18.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) estimated that the proposals would cost the sector £5 million a year. She said that as well as raising fees, “schools may be forced to limit the sharing of their facilities or begin charging for use of their resources. With Scotland experiencing a shortage of teachers, it may also have an impact on the recruitment and retention of teaching staff.”

Read more at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rates-reforms-may-force-some-private-schools-out-of-business-bqznmgcl7