Parent Power puts Impington Village College in top spot for region’s schools
Impington Village College has been revealed as the State School of the Year in East Anglia, as ranked by the Sunday Times Parent Power scheme.
This summer’s exam results also pushed the village college into the top 100 state secondary schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and to third place among non-selective state schools.
It was also named top non-selective International Baccalaureate (IB) provider.
The ranking takes into account the very high levels of performance at both GCSE and IB.
Principal Ryan Kelsall said: “As a totally comprehensive and fully inclusive college, it is fantastic to see the achievements of our students recognised.
“We are incredibly proud of the achievements of all our students, from those who achieve one or two GCSEs alongside their entry level qualifications, to those who obtain grade 9s. This is reflected in the college Progress 8 score of +0.67 that places us amongst the top-performing schools in the country.
“Particularly pleasing for us is the strong performance of students across the entire curriculum, which reflects our commitment to the arts, sport and technology as well as maths, English, science and languages.
“Similarly, in the sixth-form we are hugely proud of our students’ achievements across the full breadth of the IB programmes. As an IB world school, we are committed to providing our students with a world-class education, and being identified as a leading school in the UK is testament to our ability to do this.”
At GCSE, 43 per cent of grades were at 7-9, with 15 per cent of all grades achieved at grade 9. Achievement within the IB diploma programme was similarly excellent, with 81 per cent of all grades at higher level achieved at 5-7 (the equivalent of A*-B at A-level).
Comberton Village College also made it in at 13th in the top 20 state secondary schools in East Anglia.
Peter Law, principal, added: “I am delighted to see that yet again Comberton has been listed in the annual Sunday Times Parent Power survey as being among the top 20 state schools in East Anglia. This outcome is calculated based on both GCSE and A-level outcomes, so it is a really pleasing testament to the excellent work form both our Year 11 and Year 13 students. Many congratulations to all involved in achieving such wonderful results.”
Cambridge schools also took three of the top five places in the East Anglia independent school rankings.
While the top two positions are unchanged from last year, with The Perse School and the Stephen Perse Senior School taking the spots, The Leys School moved up to fifth. With four in every five grades at A-level returning A*, A or B grades this year – a considerable improvement on 2018 – the results were good enough to earn it the East Anglia Independent Secondary School of the Year title.
Martin Priestley, The Leys headmaster, said: “I am delighted that The Leys has been recognised by the Sunday Times with this award. My thanks to the pupils for their engagement and enthusiasm, to the parents for the sacrifices they make to send their children to us and for their ongoing support, to the governors for their wise counsel and of course to my colleagues, both teaching and support staff, without whose commitment and professionalism the school could not flourish in this way.”
Parent Power is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s best schools. The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of students gaining A* to B grades at A-level or IB (which is given double weighting) and the percentage of entries returning A* and A grades, and those graded 9, 8 and 7 at GCSE and iGCSE.
