Jargon Buster - Contextual Value Added scores

What does it mean? Since 2006, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has published a Contextual Value Added (CVA) score for all maintained schools and non-maintained special schools, recognising the progress they help pupils make.

This system builds on the original Value Added scores, which would compare a year 11 pupil's qualifications with the results they achieved in year 6 to see how far they have come. With CVA scores, factors that are known to affect pupil performance but are outside of a school's control, such as gender, special educational needs and family circumstances, are also considered.

This is a much fairer measure of the effectiveness of schools and makes comparisons with other schools more meaningful, for example, when comparing the performance of a school in a leafy suburb against the performance of one in an inner-city area - both of which might face quite different challenges.