Sunderland school league tables: Some celebrations '“ but education chiefs vow to improve '˜disappointing' results

The national GCSE and A-level performance tables, published today, showed Argyle House School is ahead of the rest of the city when it comes to top results.

Figures showed that 77% of its students gained the gold standard of five or more GCSE A*-C grades, including maths and English.

Zoom in to read the table here

Table Key

A level

A – average point score per pupil.

B – percentage of students gaining at least 3 A*-E A-levels.

C – Value added score.

GCSE

A – Total number of pupils at Key Stage 4.

B – Percentage of disadvantaged pupils.

C – Percentage of pupils gaining 5+ A*-C GCSEs including maths and English.

D – Percentage of pupils gaining the English Baccalaureate.

E – Percentage of pupils gaining 5+ A*-C in any subject.

However, across Sunderland the number of children gaining that benchmark fell from 51% in 2014 to 50.3% last year. This is below the national average, which was 56.6% in 2014 and now stands at 53.8%.

Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services in Sunderland, Councillor Pat Smith, said: “We will continue to work closely with schools, staff and families to help young people achieve their full, educational potential and will address the slight reduction in attainment figures.

“While these latest figures are disappointing, they don’t reflect the considerable achievements of our young people or the progress made to increase the percentage of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs A*-C over recent years.”

Chris Johnson, headteacher at Argyle House, said: “Our community is small, close-knit and family orientated, the values and friendships formed by the children are often life-long, many past pupils communicating with their peers and staff long after embarking upon their adult lives.

“We are proud of the Argyle House School family, their values and their attainments. That they flourish in such a happy and caring environment maintains the standard of educational excellence.

“However, Argyle House School is not only about academia and friendship, we aim to develop our children into fully-rounded individuals who enjoy exploring all their abilities, be they academic, social, emotional or physical.”