Schools fail to meet government targets

According to statistics released by the Department for Education on Thursday (January 21), Seahaven Academy saw 37 per cent of its students achieve five A*-C grades, including maths and English. While Peacehaven Community College registered a marginally better score of 38 per cent, both schools were below the government’s required standard of 40 per cent.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lewes Old Grammar School was the second-best performing school in East Sussex, with 81 per cent of pupils securing five A*-C GCSEs including maths and English. Seaford Head School was the best performing state school in the Lewes District, with 71 per cent, ahead of Priory School (68 per cent) and Chailey School (65 per cent).

Ringmer Community College saw a huge improvement in its GCSE results, jumping from a below-target 32 per cent in 2014 to a pleasing 48 per cent in 2015. The 16 per cent rise was only exceeded by one school in East Sussex.

Principal Ms Stonier said: “We’re really pleased with the results. We’ve made significant gains in English and mathematics, while our humanity and arts results continue to be high. The staff and students all worked really hard and it’s so rewarding to see that effort pay off. We saw more As and A*s this year, and we’re on course to keep improving our overall results in both GCSEs and A-Levels.”

In Wealden District, Uckfield Community Technology College and Willingdon Community School topped the table with 73 per cent of students achieving five A*-C grades in 2015. In both schools, the result was a marked improvement on 2014’s statistics of 60 and 63 per cent respectively.

Elsewhere in the district, Michael Hall School saw a year-on-year improvement of eight per cent, improving from 64 per cent in 2014 to 72 per cent in 2015. Mayfield School saw a drop in its results over the past 12 months, from 80 per cent in 2014 to 68 per cent in 2015, but did record a 55 per cent pass rate for the English Baccalaureate - the second-highest figure for schools in East Sussex.

Uplands Community College saw 68 per cent of its pupils secure five A*-C GCSE grades, including maths and English. Heathfield Community College and Beacon Academy also recorded results comfortably above the government target, with 63 and 60 per cent respectively.

Hailsham Community College had 48 per cent of its students achieve the required GCSE grades - exactly the same number as in 2014.

As a whole, East Sussex failed to meet the national average, despite improving its results by more than 3 per cent. In 2014, 53.2 per cent of students made the grade. That figure rose to 56.3 per cent in 2015, just short of the 57.1 per cent national average.

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