See I don't think the fact that you can't compare a one-of-a-kind school makes the My School website crap. If there's not another apple, then you can't compare apples. It just means that if you see a school's NAPLAN results you can raise it with them and give them the opportunity for an explanation. I'd much rather address that before enrolling my child than finding out later.
If you gave me a choice between a school that produced a well-rounded, contributor to society compared to a school with great exam results that produced selfish individuals of course I'd go for the former but I don't think it's so black and white in most instances. I think most of us are looking for a balance. If two schools produce similar exam results but one has values that align better with my own, then I'd choose that one.
My own schools, I think, produced great, kind, salt-of-the-earth kids. Who had crap exam results. Really crap. How much better for those kids if they'd had better exam results and could have gone out into the world and being more of a positive influence on their society? Maybe, they would have ultimately decided to have done exactly what they're doing now, we'll never know and they weren't given a fair go to reach their potential. From my perspective, I'd like to make it as easy as possible for my kids to reach their potential. If that's being a nurse, that's great - if it means being the Secretary General of the UN, that's great too. I couldn't really care less what they end up doing or what exam results they get as long as they've been given a decent go.
Onyx, as a person, I agree with you. How much better that a school teachs children to be human and humane.
But as someone who wants her child employable, exams count a lot. I wouldn't put my son in a school with whose ethos I disagreed, but I would want academically the best for my son. And exam results at 16 basically choose your life for you. Want to be a doctor? Not without top grades at 16 you don't. Your exam grades choose the subjects you can study further up, or even if you can, which restricts your options even further. Your not getting a good language grade at 16 may mean at 36 you're overlooked for promotion because they "need" someone who can speak another language: which you can do, but don't have the piece of paper to prove you could do it 20 years ago. Crazy. So I'd like a good school for my son with a decent ethos over one that I adored and was sustainable and holistic but didn't give him the life choices.
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