University Academy Holbeach (UAH) may be the big winner from the latest set of education results from the Government.
New Department for Education (DfE) figures ranked UAH tenth in Lincolnshire for the progress made by students between primary school and GCSE level, just one place behind Spalding High School.
But the news was even better for UAH’s A-level students who were ranked second best in the county based on the DfE’s Progress 8 standard.
This is based on how students perform overall in English, maths, a science, a foreign language and either history or geography, regarded as an indicator of good teaching across a broad curriculum.
UAH principal Steve Baragwanath said: “We are very pleased with the progress of our 2017 Year 11 students and this is the fourth year in succession that we have made better progress than predicted.
“However, the A-level progress was even more impressive, which shows both the hard work of students and the high quality of tuition and guidance they have benefited from.”
Michele Anderson, headmistress of Spalding High School, said: “The staff and governors are very proud of the achievements of our students as they have worked exceptionally hard to achieve this excellent level of progress.
“I am incredibly proud and humbled to be the head of such an excellent school.”
All six secondary schools in South Holland were ranked either above or around the national average, including Spalding Academy whose executive headteacher Laurence Reilly said: “I am pleased that we achieved an overall score in line with the national average last year.
“Our current predictions suggest we could be in the top 25 to 30 per cent of schools nationally in 2018, a remarkable turnaround in just two years.”
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