Shropshire secondary schools above average in league tables - but Telford drops below

The latest league tables out today show 56.1 per cent of pupils in the county got five GCSEs or more at grade C or above, including maths and English. The national average this year was 55 per cent.

The best ranked school in the county was Moreton Hall in Oswestry, where 92 per cent of the 60 students taking exams met the Government standard.

The key to school league tables results:

A. Number of pupils eligible for GCSE and equivalent qualifications. This is defined as the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, which usually means all pupils in Year 11.

B. The proportion of candidates getting five A* to C-grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and maths.

C. The school's rank within its local authority which the school achieved according to the proportion of pupils getting five or more A* to C in GCSE subjects including English and maths.

D. The average GCSE points score per pupil.

E. Percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate.

F. Average A-level point score per full-time candidate, including other equivalent qualifications.

Shrewsbury High School also posted a 92 per cent success rate, but there was a big drop after that down to the third-ranked best school, The Priory, also in Shrewsbury, where 79 per cent of students got five GCSEs at C or above including the two core subjects.

Oldbury Wells School in Bridgnorth (68 per cent) and The Marches in Oswestry (64 per cent) made up the top five and were also well above the national average.

Sarah Longville, headteacher at The Marches, said she was "proud" of what everyone had achieved this year.

She said: "This year's results were the school's best ever and testament to the outstanding all-round education students receive, most notably in the core subjects of English and maths.

"We are a truly comprehensive school and these results proved that we deliver a curriculum to suit all abilities – stretching and challenging the most able, while supporting and nurturing all students to achieve their personal best.

"These exceptional results are a tribute to the incredible hard work and dedication of the students, staff, parents and governing body. I am so proud of everyone for what they have achieved."

The lowest ranked school was St Martins School, near Oswestry, where 36 per cent of pupils got five GCSEs at C or above including maths and English.

Karen Bradshaw, director of children's services for Shropshire Council, said the results showed it was another good year for county schools.

She said: "Many secondary schools across Shropshire provide pupils with the opportunity to enter exams early and improve on their results at the end of their final year.

"School performance tables released have confirmed that 2014 was another good year for Shropshire schools."

In Telford just over half of pupils got five GCSEs or more at grade C or above – down by more than six per cent on last year and below this year's national average.

The 51.7 per cent compares with 58 per cent in 2013 and 61 per cent the year before that.

Council chiefs blamed a change in the method of measuring results for the drop.

But there were successes.

Newport Girls High was ranked best in the borough, with 100 per cent of its 56 students taking GCSEs meeting the Government gold standard of five GCSEs or more at C or above. Thomas Telford and Adams' Grammar in Newport achieved scores of 99 per cent and 98 per cent respectively.

Fourth best school – Wrekin College – saw 72 per cent of pupils get five GCSEs or more at grade C or above. The lowest ranked, Lakeside Academy, saw 26 per cent meet the Government standard.

Russell Griffin, for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "The secondary school league tables published today show that while the majority of students across Telford and Wrekin continue to make good progress, the headline figures have fallen from 2013 values and are now below national averages.

"The method of measuring the results in 2014 has changed. It is now only the first attempt at GCSE exams that count in the league tables rather than best grade achieved. The Government has also reduced the range of subjects which count towards the measures in the tables, cutting out many of the vocational subjects.

"The figures therefore hide the much higher numbers of students who have achieved good passes in GCSE exams and other qualifications such as BTEC."

"Madeley Academy is celebrating their best ever results, with 59 per cent of students achieving 5 GCSE grades at A* to C including English and maths. At Hadley Learning Community a higher than national proportion of the students make expected levels of progress in both English and maths, showing that whatever their starting points in Year 7, the students achieve well at GCSE."

He added: "Telford and Wrekin currently has 87.5 per cent of students at secondary schools that are rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding."