Academy schools: Vocational equivalents 'inflating results'
The "excessive" use of vocational equivalents is "inflating" the results of England's academy schools, analysis of league table data suggests.
Thousands of the qualifications which are deemed easier than GCSEs were devalued by the government this week.
But analysis by school improvement expert Dr Terry Wrigley shows 68% of academies rely more heavily on them than the average state school.
The government said the gap diminished the longer sponsor academies were open.
But Dr Wrigley, editor of the international journal Improving Schools and visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, described many academies' use of equivalents as "excessive".
"This seriously inflates the attainment figures for academies, compared with all schools nationally, creating a false impression that they are successful," he said.
This week Schools Minister Nick Gibb reduced the number of so-called equivalents that will count for league table purposes from 2014 from more than 3,000 to 70.
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... (BBC News - 3 February)