The Sheffield Green party has called for League tables to be scrapped due to the ‘competitive culture’ created.
The Department for Education recently released School League tables for 2022-23, where Mercia School, High Storrs School and Tapton School were named the top three performing schools in the Sheffield region.
Sheffield Green Party Councillor and Deputy Chair of the Education, Children and Families Policy Committee Maroof Raouf, said: “League tables perpetuate an insidious culture fixated solely on exam outcomes.
“This focus spawns an environment where educators are compelled to prioritise exams and drill regiments over any cultivation of critical thinking.”
Schools ranking in the lower half of the League table usually are situated in less affluent areas of the city.
Coun Raouf said: “My biggest issue with league tables is they perpetuate social economic disparity.
“Schools in areas such as Dore, Totley, Lodge more or Tapton, enjoy inherent advantages, while those in less privileged communities such as Page Hall or Firth Park, grapple with limited resources and opportunities, and this exacerbates the gaping hole between these different schools.”
Mercia School, which was rated third in the country for its performance, has enjoyed high praise since its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted report in February 2023, and is expected to raise house prices in the area.
Coun Raouf said: “League tables are useless. What does a league table tell you? Apart from what school has been able to get their kids to know their times tables better than other kids.”
In his campaign against League Tables, Coun Raouf urged parents to look extensively at Ofsted reports, and visit schools themselves in order to gain a sense of if that school is right for their child.
The Education, Children and Families Policy Committee is working on a ‘cross-party’ approach in order to campaign for the abolishment of league tables on both a national and local scale.
He said: “We need a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to evaluating educational institutions, with urgency.
“The limitations of league tables demand that we recalibrate the metrics that we use, to enhance the richness and diversity inherent in a truly impactful educational system.”
