SIR James Smith’s in Camelford have been graded as the best performing secondary school in North Cornwall in the provisional headline measures for schools published by the Department for Education.

The school are delighted to report that they are also in the top 11% of schools nationally.

Their Progress 8 score of +0.34 not only beats all local schools and most schools across Cornwall, it also beats the national average of that achieved by a number of grammar schools!

Progress 8 is the new government headline measure, replacing 5 A* to C GCSEs including English and maths. It indicates how well pupils at a school have progressed between the end of primary school (Key Stage 2) and the end of secondary school (Key Stage 4), compared to pupils in other schools who got similar results at the end of primary school.

Progress 8 is based on results in up to eight qualifications, which include English, maths, three qualifications including sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages, and three other additional approved qualifications.

Headteacher, Jon Lawrence, said: “Regardless of ability, our pupils performed magnificently when compared against both local and national schools. To be in the top 11% of schools nationally is a fantastic achievement. There have been some amazing stories. Nearly 10% of the year group achieved 10 or more A*-A grades with Poppy Stiles bagging the top spot just ahead of Rosie Morey and Beth Bull.

“Poppy was always a very determined young lady – she worked hard during her time at school and achieved remarkable success. I have always said pupils at Sir Jim’s are as good as any and better than most. Parents should be proud of what their children have achieved.”

Chair of governors, Ruth Krolik, said: “This is a school where all pupils matter and no-one is left behind, a virtue of being a small school. We set high standards and have ambitious expectations of all our students. We are so proud of how well our pupils have done and are looking forward to continued success in the future.”