MORE than half of Hillingdon secondary schools collaborated in an initiative to produce ‘more honest’ performance tables - and parents are now being asked for their views.

Swakeleys, Vyners and Northwood School are among 750 nationally that have joined together to publish their GCSE results in full.

The initiative was launched in August by head teacher groups United Learning, showing university attainment, attendance levels and extra-curricular activities, alongside exam results.

Jon Coles, chief executive of United Learning said: “We know that what parents look for in choosing a school is far more than academic performance.”

Parents looking to compare GCSE performance can access free of charge the 2014 data, published at www.schoolperformancetables.org.uk

The website allows parents to compare up to five schools at once, so they can consider which school will suit their child best.

Parents in Hillingdon and across the country are also being asked to decide what information is most important to them in choosing a secondary school for their child.

The consultation, launched this week, will result in the expansion of www.schoolperformancetables.org.uk for next summer.

Parents in Hillingdon should get a clearer picture of how each school does in terms of the exam results that pupils actually achieve, rather than the current first-entry results the Department for Education publishes.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “After this year's volatility in results, the need for stable, honest measures of school performance has never been more clear.

“The alternative performance tables show a commitment from schools to transparency and accountability, but also enable them to demonstrate their performance whatever the sudden shifts of government policy.”

The move comes in advance of the government publishing its version of the results.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We agree that information about school performance should be freely available to parents.

“That's why we have taken steps to make our league tables clearer and more transparent and, in addition to our data, all schools must publish extensive information on their website, including pupil progress.

"Our tables are published only after robust checks so parents know the information we are giving them is accurate.”

In 2016, the Department will introduce a new measure so parents can compare how pupils are progressing across eight subjects, including English and Maths.

It says it will identify under-performing schools in a fairer way by taking into account the circumstances of each school.

Sue Pryor, head teacher of Swakeleys School for Girls, said: “We believe in being open, honest and transparent about what is being achieved in our school and welcome a broader approach, which will help parents and pupils select the information that is useful for them”.

Parents, teachers and governors can take part in the consultation until February 13 via the website https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/schperf