Three-quarters of parents have not heard of Progress 8

According to a poll conducted by the Department for Education (DfE), three-quarters of parents and carers have not heard of Progress 8, Tes has reported.

Progress 8 is a new accountability measure, of which the poll shows that less than a fifth (19 per cent) of parents and carers understand how it works.

In January this year, all schools were ranked on the government's new performance measure in the key stage 4 performance tables.

Progress 8 – which was used for the first time this year – replaced the previous measure of five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and maths.

There is also still confusion about the GCSE grading reforms, which came into effect this summer for maths and English.

A fifth of parents and carers are unaware of the new numerical 9-1 grading system which is replacing the original A* to G scheme.

The poll also reveals that less parents have heard of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) - a government accountability measure introduced last summer.

Only half of parents and carers had heard of the EBacc, compared to 58 per cent last year, despite a push from ministers to increase the number of pupils studying the core academic EBacc subjects.