Calderdale head teachers are pleased with work of staff and students after league table results

Schools in Calderdale are celebrating being top of the class as the borough ranks above the national average in the recent secondary school league tables, published by the Department for Education.
Calderdale head teachers are pleased with work of students after league table resultsCalderdale head teachers are pleased with work of students after league table results
Calderdale head teachers are pleased with work of students after league table results

The two tables see schools ranked on Progress 8, a measure which looks at how much improvement is made by pupils at the school, and Attainment 8, which looks at the raw attainment from pupils in their best eight subjects, including English and maths, during key stage four (GCSEs).

Trinity Academy, Halifax came top of Calderdale’s Progress 8 table with 0.59 which is well above the national average of -0.02.

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This is the third year that schools have been scored using this measure which looks at the improvement of pupils at the school.

Read: These are the top ten Calderdale schools for Progress 8 in latest league tablesTrinity Academy Sowerby Bridge, which is looked after by the Trinity Multi Academy Trust, also placed second on the Progress 8 table.

Nick Robinson, Principal of Trinity Academy, said: “We would like to congratulate each and every one of our students; they have enjoyed some amazing educational experiences whilst achieving these fantastic results. With our outstanding staff team and enthusiastic young people, we will continue to ensure that our results, and the educational experience on offer, continue to develop and improve to support student choice.”

Trinity Academy Sowerby Bridge (which was placed into special measures by Ofsted in October 2016), joined the Academy Trust in early 2017. In 18 months, the school has improved its ranking from second to bottom in the local authority to second from the top.

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Principal Charlie Johnson said, “We can already see the improvements we have made in creating a more focused environment and this is paying huge dividends on student outcomes; teachers are delivering better lessons and students are ready to learn. We are determined there will be no limits placed on what our students are able to achieve.”

The Crossley Heath School, Halifax topped the Attainment 8 table with 73.5, ranking high above the national average of 46.5.

This is the second year schools are ranked on their Attainment 8 score and it is based on how well pupils have performed in up to eight qualifications, which include English, maths, three English Baccalaureate qualifications including sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages, and three other additional approved qualifications.

Read: These are the top ten Calderdale schools for Attainment 8 in latest league tablesHead teacher of Crossley Heath, Lynnette Cassidy, said: “We are extremely pleased with this excellent set of results.

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“Despite the significant challenge posed by the major changes to the GCSE, staff and students have responded positively and have achieved some amazing results.

“We are particularly pleased with the proportion of grade 9s (21 per cent) and the proportion of grades at 7+ (up by 10 per cent) as well as the associated considerable uplift in the Attainment 8 figure.”

Calder High School, Mytholmroyd was the top performing school in the upper Calder Valley, placing third for Attainment 8 in Calderdale with a score of 51.8.

Head teacher Tony Guise, said: "We are really pleased. This is the third year running we are one of the top performing schools in Calderdale.

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"We don't do what we do for the league tables, we do it so the students get the best grades possible.

"The great results are down to the hard work of parents, students and staff,"

Hipperholme Grammar School was the top performing school in the Brighouse area, placing fifth in Calderdale for Attainment 8 with a score of 50.2.

Head teacher of Hipperholme Grammar School, Jackie Griffiths, said: “We placed fifth in Calderdale and we are delighted with that.

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“This year’s intake had some students that were a challenge but they achieved way beyond expectations.

“We are really pleased and we feel that we have lived up to our expectations.”

For all state funded schools in England, the average Progress 8 score was -0.02. Overall Calderdale scored 0.07 which places it above the national average.

Calderdale was also above the Attainment 8 national average of 46.5, scoring 49.4.