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Schools deserve the opportunity to shout about their students’ achievements as they publish their academic results. The statistics can be incredibly useful for prospective parents too- they offer something concrete to compare between schools. But can and should we compare? The numbers presented are a starting point, but certainly do not paint the whole picture. Here are our seven top tips to ensure you gain valuable insight as you explore the data published. Top 7 Tips #1 Check the size of the cohort A percentage can be impressive, but the number of students entered for the examinations may be very small. Check how many students are represented by the statistic before you are wowed by the headline! In 2020, RLA entered 433 students across IGCSE, AS and A Level! This makes our results pretty impressive given our large cohort size ! #2 Zoom in on the ‘Value-added’ Score In a nutshell, this data shows the ‘extra’ achievement a child has made, when you take into account their natural ability. It can also be seen as a good indicator of the quality of teaching. At RLA, our Value Added score for A Level is +1.0. This means that our outstanding teachers make the difference of approximately one grade on average for each student in each subject! These results far exceed those of any private school in the UK. What is value added score? #3 Look at historical data for consistency! It is important that your child receives a consistently outstanding education. To ensure that a school has an excellent proven track record of this, be sure to check out their past academic results. Despite 2020’s record-breaking results, RLA students consistently perform exceptionally well, making us one of the world’s top performing British international schools year on year. 2020 Key Academic Achievements 433 students sat IGCSE and A Level examinations 81% of all grades at A-Level were A*/A 76% of all grades at IGCSE were A*/A 100% pass rate for A Level 70% A-Level students achieved straight A*/A grades Nearly 50% of all grades at IGCSE were A* 98% of graduating students will continue to university within two years, having received offers from Stanford, Brown, UCLA, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Edinburgh, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Leiden University and Yale-NUS amongst others. Six students won places at Oxbridge and ten students received offers to study medicine or dentistry in the UK. #4 How inclusive is the school? An inclusive school ensures it provides for students of all abilities, including those with different learning needs. RLA prides itself on being a fully inclusive school that ensures that all of our students are supported and challenged to fulfil their potential. This makes our excellent results stand out even more! #5 Check out the destinations! Outstanding academic results should open doors to the world’s best universities. Check out exactly where the school’s graduates go on to post-A Level to get a sense of how well prepared they are during their final school years. In 2020, 98% of A Level students at RLA IS will go on to their first or second university choices, including Stanford, Brown, UCLA, LSE, Edinburgh, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Leiden University and Yale-NUS. Additionally, 6 students will go on to Oxbridge and a further 10 will study medicine or dentistry in the UK. #6 How many subjects are offered? A broad range of subjects offered means that your child will have a greater chance of discovering a pathway that is perfectly suited to them. Find out how many subjects are offered at IGCSE and A Level, to enable your child the best chance to shine. In 2020, RLA offered 29 subjects at IGCSE and 18 students at A Level. Given our excellent results across the broad, this is the perfect example of the consistency in outstanding teaching across our school. #7 Compare Apples with Apples And last but not least, make sure you compare the same statistics. Schools will have different ways of formulating their results to ensure they look their best. If you’re focused on A*/A, make sure that’s what you’re looking at across the board, and if it’s ‘pass rate’ you’re more concerned with, make sure you clarify which grades are included in the data provided. 2020 is a record-breaking year for RLA, with our outstanding results showing academic excellence across the board. We are particularly proud of our A*/A grades, with an astonishing 81% A Level and 76% IGCSE grades awarded these top two grades!