What a transformation!
Last year, New College was celebrating just one student getting a top A-level grade.
But in just 12 months, the school has turned its fortunes around, with five pupils gaining either an A* or A grade this summer.
The numbers may be small, but it is a big leap for the school, which was in special measures six years ago.
Last year, just 12 students sat A-level exams at the college. This year, that figure more than doubled to 25.
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It means the percentage of students achieving the top grades has jumped from eight to 21.
Head teacher Jane Brown, who was brought in to make improvements after the school was placed in special measures, said she was pleased to see exam results going from strength to strength.
The news means the school is bucking the national trend, which has seen the number of students gaining A* or A grades falling.
Mrs Brown said she was proud of her students.
"It's fantastic to show a year-on-year improvement in this area," she said.
"Staff and students have both worked hard and these results show just how talented these young people are when they put their mind to it.
"From year seven onwards we have an Aim Higher scheme, which instills in students that they can be the best.
"We take them to universities as part of that to show them what it's like, so when the time comes they don't need to feel nervous. It's something to aspire to.
"Students are also increasingly aware of the opportunities university can bring and the competition they face."
Mrs Brown said the increase in the size of the sixth form had also contributed to its success.
"There's nowhere for students to hide here," she said. "They have to put the work in and if they're falling behind we're on hand to help.
"We're growing in size but we're doing so very carefully. We wouldn't want to become so big that students' grades could be compromised or the time we give to them."
St Paul's Catholic School, in Evington, also outdid itself, with 28 per cent of students achieving the top grades, compared to 22 per cent the year before.
Councillor Vi Dempster, Leicester City Council's education spokeswoman, said: "I want to congratulate these students as this is fantastic news for them. I also want to thank all the staff and governors for all their hard work.
"This is further evidence that the parents of this city can, and should, have confidence in our schools as we continue to strive for excellence."
Nationally, students scoring top grades dropped for the first time in more than two decades, according to official figures.
Some 26.6 per cent of exams were awarded an A or A*, down from 27 per cent in 2011 – a record drop of 0.4 per cent.
The fall comes amid continuing attempts by exams regulator Ofqual to tackle grade inflation.
It has told exam boards they will be asked to justify results that differ widely from previous years.
Exam chiefs insisted the drop was down to more, and a broader range of, candidates taking A-levels.
Comments
by New_Walk_View
Sunday, August 19 2012, 6:26PM
“Gaining such high grades is an admirable achievement and these students deserve our respect. Well done.”