Cambridgeshire schools where pupils make most progress revealed

New data has revealed the Cambridgeshire secondary schools in which pupils make the most progress.

Eight schools performed ‘well above’ the national average, with Chesterton Community College topping that list.

Progress 8 tells parents about the progress that pupils make from the end of primary school to the end of Year 11.

It is a type of value-added measure, which means that pupils’ results are compared to other pupils nationally with similar starting points.

A score above zero, says the Department for Education, means pupils have made better progress at their school, on average, than pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2. A score below zero means pupils made less progress.

Schools with a score more than 0.5 performed ‘well above’ the national average. Chesterton received a progress 8 score of 1.05, which places the school just outside the top 50 nationally in 58th. This puts Chesterton Community College among the top one per cent of schools nationally for their progress 8 score. The school was also the only one in Cambridgeshire to record a progress 8 score of more than one.

That score means that Chesterton students, on average, get one grade higher in every GCSE they take, than they would if those same students had gone to an average school.

Rolf Purvis, executive headteacher, said in a letter to parents: “We are delighted that Chesterton’s results are so strong this year, and are particularly pleased that the outcomes place us in the top one per cent of schools nationally.

“Life at Chesterton is about much more than exams, but exam results have a major effect on our children’s life chances. So we are extremely proud of our students for their amazing effort, and of our dedicated staff for supporting students so well in the return to formal exams.”

Lucy Scott, CEO of the Eastern Learning Alliance, pictured, which is the trust that runs Chesterton, added: “Staff in schools across the country have worked exceptionally hard this year to prepare young people for the return to formal exams, from offering expert academic mentoring to putting in place additional pastoral support for those that need it.

“It’s been a real privilege to see this work in action across our schools day to day – huge congratulations to all the students, staff, parents and carers for their work in achieving these excellent outcomes.”

A negative progress score does not mean pupils made no progress rather it means pupils in the school made less progress than others across England with similar results at the end of key stage 2.

Trumpington Community College had the third highest progress 8 score in Cambridgeshire, with 0.84.

Jess Pearce, head of school at Trumpington, said: “It is hugely gratifying to have such a high score, confirming what all of us at Trumpington already know – that this is a school which provides a fantastic education and which really delivers for its students.”