Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2022/23

<p>This statistical release focuses on the GCSE results of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) attending state-funded schools in England.&nbsp;This provisional&nbsp;release includes pupil characteristic breakdowns such as disadvantage status, free school meal status, special educational needs status and ethnicity.</p><p>In 2022/23 there was a return to pre-pandemic standards for GCSEs, AS and A levels, with protection built into the grading process to recognise the disruption that students have faced. For VTQs that are taken alongside, or instead, of GCSEs and A levels, there was also a return to pre-pandemic standards in 2022/23. More information on qualification grading approaches in 2023 and in 2022 can be found at <a href="https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/10/exam-results-2023-10-things-to-know-about-gcse-as-and-a-level-grades/">Exam results 2023: 10 things to know about GCSE, AS and A level grades - The Ofqual blog</a> and <a href="https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/10/vocational-and-technical-qualifications-grading-in-2023/">Vocational and technical qualifications grading in 2023 &nbsp; - The Ofqual blog</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ofquals-approach-to-grading-exams-and-assessments-in-summer-2022-and-autumn-2021">Ofqual’s announced approach to grading assessments in summer 2022</a>.</p><p>The KS4 performance measures reported in this release, and on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk/">performance tables website</a>, for the 2022/23 academic year have been affected by the following factors: &nbsp;</p><ul><li>The return to pre-pandemic grading in 2022/23, with some protections.&nbsp;</li><li>2022/23 performance measures may include some qualification grades that were awarded in 2021/22 using a different grading approach.</li><li>Results achieved between January 2020 and August 2021, by pupils included in 2022/23 measures, are not included in the calculations.</li><li>The ongoing uneven impacts of the pandemic on different schools/colleges and pupils.</li></ul><p>For more information on how we calculate performance measures, and the factors affecting measures for 2022/23, please see the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-and-college-performance-measures#key-stage-4-performance-measures">KS4&nbsp;</a>technical guide.</p><p>Throughout this release, comparisons are made with 2022 and with 2019. The more meaningful comparison is with 2019,&nbsp;the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic, as&nbsp;2023 saw a return to pre-pandemic grading, with some protections. In 2022 outcomes broadly reflected a mid-point&nbsp;between 2019 and 2021, to take account of the impact of the pandemic and in line with Ofqual’s approach to grading in 2022. It is expected that performance in 2023 will generally be lower than in 2022. For this reason, users need to exercise extreme caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone.</p><p>To find out more about this, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-8-school-performance-measure">secondary accountability measures guide</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>