A little over two miles – or around an eight-minute drive – separates Grove Academy and Braeview Academy in Dundee.
Yet despite their close proximity, the two schools are worlds apart.
Pupils who leave Grove, in Broughty Ferry, are far more likely to achieve five or more Highers than those at Braeview, in the north east of the city.
And in the Courier’s Schools League – compiled in April using last year’s exam results – the Ferry secondary was among the top four ranked schools in Tayside and Fife. Braeview, however, was at the very bottom.
So why is there such disparity between two schools so close to each other? And is it fair to judge their performance on Highers alone?
What does the data say?
Scottish Government figures show that in 2021, 56% of Grove Academy’s leavers took with them the gold standard of five or more Highers.
However for pupils leaving Braeview Academy, just 11% of achieved this.
Perhaps more importantly, however, government figures show more than 40% of pupils at Braeview live in areas among the most deprived in Scotland – known as quintile 1 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
In contrast, half of pupils at Grove come from areas among the least deprived areas in the country – quantile 5.
Simon Redmond, treasurer of Fintry Community Council, has two children who will eventually attend Braeview Academy.
He is full of praise for the school and the work of teachers there but acknowledged the school faces challenges that are perhaps not as prevalent in other areas of Dundee.
The young people of the North East are determined to learn and rise above these but somewhere along the line there will be people that fall through the gaps.”
Fintry parent Simon Redmond
He said: “Braeview is a great secondary school in its own right and it’s a great asset to the area. The teachers and pupils are hard working.
“What I would say say is the North East (ward) is quite an impoverished area and its well known so there are additional challenges.”
“The young people of the North East are determined to learn and rise above these but somewhere along the line there will be people that fall through the gaps.
“There needs to be more decision action from the council because if we don’t there will be this gap.”
Are exam results a fair barometer?
Another metric used by the Scottish Government to evaluate how well a school is doing is to look at how many of its pupils go on to a positive destination after they leave.
These include higher education, further education, employment, training, personal skills development or voluntary work.
Looking at this metric, both schools have favourable outcomes.
Figures show that in the 2020/21 school year, 95% of leavers from Grove went on to a positive destination. At Braeview, 86% of their leavers headed off to a positive destination.
What does the future hold?
The current Braeview Academy building was severely damaged by a fire in September 2018.
This resulted in the creation of temporary cabin accommodation for pupils – a provision which is still in use today.
Moreover, the building has been rated as ‘poor’ for overall condition meaning it’s showing major defects and not operating adequately.
A brand new £60m campus – a merger between Braeview and Craigie High School – has been approved by Dundee City Council and is expected to open in August 2025.
Speaking when the new school was approved last year, Braeview head teacher Lesley Elder labelled the project as a “game changer”.
She said: “There will be a bigger range of subjects, particularly in the senior phase and they will have the opportunity to learn in a more 21st century, up-to-date way.
“I see that as real game-changer for the Braeview and Craigie community.”
What is the local council saying?
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The children and families service and our schools are working hard to improve attainment and meet the needs of all our pupils, and this will vary across different communities.
“The council looks at a wide range of data, not just one measure, to evaluate progress and to identify areas for improvements.
“We have seen record levels of our young people leaving all our schools with a variety of qualifications, including opportunities to follow appropriate vocational pathways leading to positive destinations.
“We are engaged in an ongoing drive to close the attainment gap, and this is providing support to children and young people who face extremely challenging circumstances.
“This includes launching our citywide strategy called Every Dundee Learner Matters which is supported by the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change, and which draws on evidence from successful system change developments in other parts of the world.
“This strategy involves every school in Dundee engaging in collaborative action research targeted to improve the outcomes of all learners and address inequality.”
What’s next for the Braeview Academy and Craigie High School merger?
Conversation