THE annual post mortem of secondary school performance is under way after the GCSE league tables were released.
Many schools in East Surrey recorded year-on-year improvements when students collected their results in August, and the tables, released this week, now allow teachers, staff, students and parents to compare performance against all secondaries in England.
The tables, which you can view here, show academic performance as well as other figures, such as school spending and pupil absence.
Mole Valley's top performer was independent school St John's in Leatherhead, which saw 100 per cent of students achieve the benchmark of five GCSEs at grades A* to C – including English and maths – for the second year running.
This makes St John's joint top of the league table for Surrey, equal with four other schools.
Headmaster Martin Collier told the Advertiser: "I am delighted and they are a reflection of the hard work which the pupils put in and the quality of the teaching they received.
"They are also a reflection of the partnership between the teachers and the pupils.
"I am a believer that great results come out of great teaching, and if the pupils are inspired by their teachers, the results will follow."
In Dorking, a big improvement in grades at The Priory C of E School boosted the voluntary-aided secondary from 71st in Surrey in 2011 to 55th in 2012, out of a total of 87 mainstream schools for which results are listed.
Head teacher Andre Sohatski said he was "absolutely delighted" with the result.
"We aim for year-on-year improvement all the time," he said.
"We have done it by designing the curriculum to meet the personal needs of children and a very close focus on children's individual learning."
Independent secondaries Box Hill School in Dorking and Manor House in Bookham also achieved improvements in results, with Manor House rising ten places from 33rd in 2011 to 23rd in 2012.
Meanwhile, a dip in results at The Ashcombe School in Dorking led to a 15-place drop, with the school falling back from 46th in the to 61st.
All schools in Dorking and Leatherhead recorded results well above the Government minimum standard – at which schools can face closure – of 40 per cent of students achieving five grades at C or above, including English and maths.
You can see the full league tables online here Independent schools Reigate Grammar and Lingfield Notre Dame are amongst the top 218 in the country. Both had 99 per cent of students achieve the benchmark of five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths. In Reigate and Banstead, a big improvement in grades at Oakwood School in Horley boosted the secondary from 70th place in Surrey in 2011 to 54th out of a total of 87 mainstream secondaries for which results are listed. It is the same story at the other end of the borough where a similar surge in results has moved The Beacon in Banstead from 83rd in the 2011 list to 67th in last summer's results. Oakwood head teacher Sue Child said: "We are all delighted as Oakwood has significantly leapt up the league tables and is now above average for national and Surrey schools. "For the first time in its history, Oakwood is now in line with some high-achieving schools in Surrey showing our rise in expectations and quality of learning is paying off. This is an excellent achievement and reflects the hard work of all the school community. "This represents a springboard for our future success as we go from strength to strength." Meanwhile, a year-on-year dip at St Bede's in Redhill led to a 12-place drop, falling back to 56th best in the county. In Tandridge, the three mainstream state schools – de Stafford in Caterham, Warlingham School and Oxted School – all recorded year-on-year improvements while the three independent schools all recorded minor drops. All schools in Tandridge and Reigate and Banstead recorded results well above the Government minimum standard – at which schools can face closure – of 40 per cent of students achieving five grades at C or above, including English and maths. Many schools and colleges in East Surrey registered a year-on-year decline in A-level grades in the latest league tables. According to the points-per-student measure, under which higher grades mean higher points, the only state school to record an increase from 2011 in Mole Valley was Howard of Effingham School. Independent schools Hurtwood House in Dorking and St John's in Leatherhead also saw boosts in their results. A new measure of performance was introduced this year in which students achieving a set of three A levels at grades A, A and B in 'facilitating' subjects, such as maths and English, are now additionally recorded. Under this criteria, The Ashcombe School in Dorking reported a drop from an average of 914.1 points per student in 2011 to an average of 845 in 2012. However, head teacher David Blow said he was 'very pleased' with the results. He said: "We have one of the lowest admissions policies for A-level courses and yet we were one of the highest-scoring state schools in Surrey." Mr Blow pointed out that schools which set strict limits on their A-level admissions were bound to be able to expect higher placement in the league tables. He added it was worth parents looking at league tables which include results for other qualifications as well as A levels, such as the International Baccalaureate. Across Surrey, the average number of points per pupil based on this measure was 732.1, up from 727.4 last year. The principal of the biggest A-level provider in East Surrey has hit out at the league table system. Reigate College chief Steve Oxlade said parents should look at Ofsted reports rather than the tables – which give a number of different measures of a school or college's academic success. According to the points-per-student measure, under which higher grades mean higher points, the college and many schools in East Surrey registered a year-on-year decline in grades. Those to record an increase were St Bede's in Redhill, Caterham School and Lingfield Notre Dame. Results vary widely in East Surrey, with 30 per cent of Reigate Grammar students registering that benchmark, but none at Royal Alexandra and Albert School. "I wonder what parents make of all this," said Mr Oxlade. "It's interesting that Ofsted refuse to consider any of these figures when inspecting a school because they know they can be manipulated by refusing to allow some students to enter the exams. I feel really sorry for some of the excellent schools on the table who appear to be less successful just because they allow all their sixth-formers to actually sit the exams they originally signed up for. "Why do you think some of the schools high on these lists are not considered to be 'outstanding' by Ofsted standards? "The reason is that Ofsted use more accurate measures of how good a school or college sixth form really is. "It would be much more helpful to parents if the Government published an annual list of the Ofsted inspection grade for every school and college – now that really would help parents to choose the best school for their children." Tables do not take into account other qualifications, such as BTEC Nationals, he added.