Key Stage 1 results

Our results are far above the national average

At the end of Key Stage 1, our pupils exceed demonstrably on the expected standards in maths, reading and writing. Although superior academic attainment is only a narrow aspect of our aim to develop ‘the whole child’, these results nevertheless provide a good illustration for the quality and impact of our provision.

Voluntary SATs participation, moderated by Southwark

To help us benchmark the quality of our provision in terms of academic performance, all of our Year 2 pupils participate annually, in the summer term, in a regulated assessment of their attainment in maths, reading and writing. This is through nationally standardised tests and teacher assessments, commonly referred to as SATs (Statutory Attainment Tests), produced and overseen nationally by the Department for Education and the Local Authorities.

Although it is not a statutory requirement for independent schools to participate in SATs, we have consistently chosen to do so as this provides helpful monitoring and enables meaningful comparisons with the results from government-funded primary schools. To ensure the accuracy and validity of our results as well as their national comparability, we are externally moderated in the process by Southwark’s moderation and monitoring service.

Far above national results in the last available direct comparison (2019)

Due to the disruption caused by Covid-19, the last available national comparisons are from 2019. The graphs below show that in maths, reading and writing, as recognised in our most recent ISI inspection report, our “results are far above the national average for maintained primary schools.”

Indeed, we have a comparatively small percentage of pupils ‘working towards the expected standard’ and a much greater percentage of pupils working at the highest level, defined as ‘exceeding the expected standard and working at greater depth’: over double the national average in maths (51% vs. 22%), reading (57% vs. 25%) and writing (41% vs. 15%).

Key Stage 1 SATs results (2019)

Continued excellent recent performance despite Covid-19 disruption (2021)

While the DfE did not carry out national assessments in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-related school closures in the summer term 2020 and spring term 2021, we have continued our own internal testing and assessment process at the end of Year 2 with the same methodology, rigour and integrity.

The graphs below show our 2021 Herne Hill School results compared with the ones displayed in the graphs above, from 2019. They show that our pupils who graduated in 2021 managed to largely match, and in some cases even surpass, the attainment achieved by those who graduated in 2019.

We are extremely proud of these results as they are testimony to the high-quality provision we were able to deliver, with superb support from our parents, through our home-schooling platform during the lockdown periods. Whilst do not have 2021 national data with which to compare our results, we would expect that, based on news reports of how difficult home schooling was in many places, the gap between our and the national results is likely to be even greater than before.

Herne Hill School Key Stage 1 SATs results (2019/2021)

Just one aspect of our much broader aims

We are, of course, very pleased with the high academic marks our pupils achieve. However, it is important to remember that academic attainment at the end of KS1 forms only a minor aspect of our aim to develop the ‘whole child’. Indeed, our superior SATs results say little about the achievements of our children in all the other subjects we teach as well as their emotional, social, moral and personal development. We believe that their attainment in these areas is at least as good as their more readily measurable academic results.