Progress 8 scores for schools in Spalding, Grantham and Stamford revealed

Two academies in Spalding and Bourne have shared their delight at being ranked as the ‘top two’ non-selective schools in the county.

Spalding Academy and Bourne Academy are both performing ‘well above average’ according to the latest round of pupil performance data – known as Progress 8 – published by the Department for Education.

Progress 8 is considered to be among the government's preferred measures for secondary school performance - charting the progress pupils make over a set period of time.

Both schools are part of the South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, which also runs Donington’s Cowley Academy and Giles Academy in Boston.

Understanding Progress 8

Progress 8, is described by The Good Schools Guide as a ‘value-added’ measure, which indicates ‘how much a secondary school has helped pupils improve (or progress) over a five year period’.

The score is calculated using a method that compares each student's Attainment 8 score (which is their best GCSE grades from eight approved subjects) to those nationally of other students who had the same Key Stage 2 SATs results at the end of their time in primary school.

Every school is then given a positive or negative number to indicate how much progress students have made from the end of Year 6 to the end of Year 11.

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Lucy Conley, chief executive officer at South Lincolnshire Academies Trust said: "It is tremendous recognition that Spalding Academy is the top performing school in Spalding, Bourne Academy is the top performing school in Bourne and that Giles Academy and Cowley Academy are both the top performing schools in the Boston area, outperforming both non-selective and grammar schools.

“This success demonstrates that our Trust model for school improvement works as the schools continue to go from strength to strength."

The best performing school in Lincolnshire according to the DfE stats is Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, which has been given a ‘well above average’ Progress 8 score of 1.02.

Its score, says headteacher James Fuller, places it into the top 2% of schools nationally and follows an excellent Ofsted report in September in which the school was declared ‘outstanding’ in all areas.

He added: “Our vision to Inspire, Challenge and Achieve’ focuses on a relentless drive to excel in all areas. We are thrilled with both our Progress 8 score and inspection report, both recognising the continued commitment that leads to excellent academic outcomes, while developing each pupil’s character as part of a supportive and caring community.

“I would like to thank all pupils, staff, parents/carers, trustees and governors for their ongoing hard work and support.”

Other south Lincolnshire schools to have scored ‘well above average’, alongside Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School and Spalding Academy and Bourne Academy include The King’s School in Grantham, Charles Read Academy, Bourne Grammar School and Spalding High School.

Charles Read Academy has received a score of 0.6 in the latest round of pupil performance data – a figure which places it in the top 5% in the country.

For the second year in a row its ‘well above average’ score also beats the national average Progress 8 figure of -0.03 and comes above the Lincolnshire average, it says, of 0.02.

Sue Jones, executive principal of Charles Read Academy, said the school is ‘delighted’ with the results.

She added: “A huge thank you to our staff for their commitment to continued improvement and also to our students for their hard work and ambition.

“This year, we have continued our focus on reflective thinking and learning, self-regulation and developing character and we are thrilled that this has paid off.

“We will always be fervently committed to the achievement of every student. We look forward to the year ahead.”

Simon Pickett, headmaster of The King’s School in Grantham, which has been given a ‘well above average’ score of 0.83, just behind Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, has paid tribute to the efforts of his ‘cohort of dedicated students’.

He explained: “We were delighted to see the strong performance from the schools in Lincolnshire in progress and attainment.

“The National data released reinforced that the students at The King’s School had another strong set of GCSE results showing how outstanding they are and the great support they received from their teachers.”

“I knew we had a cohort of dedicated students committed to realising their potential and our GCSE results showed that. We congratulate all of them on their remarkable achievements and thank staff and parents for the unwavering support.”

His thoughts echo those of Walton Academy principle Jess Leonard, who too praised her teenagers for their success in summer exams. The Grantham school has been given an ‘above average’ Progress 8 score of 0.44.

She added: "I am extremely proud of our students and their achievements in the summer examinations. I am delighted that they have now moved onto their next steps both within Walton’s Post 16 Centre and at other further educational providers. We wish them every success in their chosen fields."

As is usual, the data shows wide variations in performance across the area.

In Lincolnshire as a whole – schools scoring ‘well below average’ for pupil progress had figures ranging from -0.54 to -1.5.

Among the schools further down the table are The Deepings School in Deeping St James and University Academy Long Sutton in Spalding – both with ‘below average’ scores of -0.23 and -0.48 respectively.

Over the border in Rutland there were ‘above average’ performances for Catmose College in Oakham and Casterton College.

Further afield, Toot Hill School in Bingham, Priory Belvoir Academy in Bottesford and Arthur Mellows Village College in Glinton also had above average Progress 8 scores.

What do you think? Which schools in our area deserve some praise? Post your comments below