Top marks for school

The Dukeries College, Ollerton, has achieved its best ever GCSE results, according to league tables published by the Government.

Staff and pupils recorded a huge increase in the pass rate for those achieving five A*-C grades or equivalent, including maths and English.

It means that, for the first time, the school has surpassed the Government target for the number of 16-year-olds getting five good GCSEs or equivalents.

College principal Mr Danny Smith said they were delighted with the 42% pass rate achieved in the summer.

“I am pleased for the students who worked so hard to achieve that, and for the staff who supported them all the way,” he said.

Mr Smith said the school’s improvement, up from 31% the previous year, must have been one of the best in the county.

“We have equally high expectations of our current Year 11,” he said.

He said the rise in standards was a consequence of improvements made over the past three or four years in the curriculum, quality of teaching, and tracking pupils’ progress.

“It is a cumulative effect over a number of years that has led to this,” he said.

Because those measures were now embedded in the school, Mr Smith said he was confident they would see continued improvement in the future.

The chairman of governors, Mrs Stella Smedley, said: “The college is working very hard with children and the results of that hard work are showing through.”

Mrs Smedley was delighted with the 11% increase in the GCSE pass rate and that the school was now above the Government threshold.

“It takes the pressure off us completely,” she said.

“It has always been a good school and it is clear that it is consistently improving. The staff are excellent, parents are very supportive, and the children are delightful.”

The Dukeries saw a drop in its A-level performance, also recorded in the tables, from 591.4 points per pupil to 559.2.