PUPILS and teachers at three of South Lakeland’s smallest rural secondary schools are celebrating their success in the latest league tables.
Cartmel Priory CE School came out on top as the school where pupils made better progress than at any other in Cumbria in 2016.
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John Ruskin School, at Coniston, was chalked up in third place and Sedbergh’s Settlebeck High School came fifth overall in the county.
Cartmel head teacher Dr Paul Williams said: “It’s great that pupils of all abilities - low, middle and high - made such excellent progress in their GCSEs. We are very proud of all the achievements of our young people; well done.”
The Department for Education has taken a new approach to its performance tables by ranking schools according to Progress 8 - a measure showing how well children of all abilities have progressed since primary school. It replaces the previous benchmark of how many Year 11 pupils achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C.
Under the Progress 8 score, Year 11 students at Cartmel Priory made half-a-grade better progress than similar students nationally in 2016.
At Coniston’s John Ruskin School, head teacher Peter Blackburn told the Gazette: “The progress of individuals is something our dedicated staff really value. The students’ high position in the Progress 8 league table reflects our understanding and knowledge of each individual child. We ensure all students achieve their very best here at John Ruskin School.”
Settlebeck head teacher Karen Grant said: “We are absolutely delighted with our position in the league tables, a testament to the hard work and commitment of the students and staff here at Settlebeck.
“It was good to see that the top four non-selective schools in the county all have fewer than 300 students. Small schools are often overlooked but these results clearly reflect the great work they do. In addition, Settlebeck is extremely proud to be second in the county for progress in English and maths.”
Three Barrow-in-Furness Schools - Chetwynde, Walney and Furness Academy - are among nine Cumbrian schools identified as underperforming.
Cllr Clare Feeney-Johnson, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for schools and learning, said the council had no power to intervene at academies, but was working “to implement a robust plan for improvement across all schools in Cumbria”.
She added: “This is a complex picture, with different issues affecting different schools. Recent changes to the way school performance is measured, and the comparatively lower pupil numbers in Cumbrian schools, has also had an impact on performance figures.”
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- Meanwhile, Furness College, Barrow-in-Furness, has topped the table for the progress students make after school. The college says it is now rated as the highest-performing general further education college in the country, according to Government league tables.
Principal Andrew Wren said: “School leavers, their parents and employers can all be assured of a bright future for school leavers in Barrow and the surrounding area.”
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