Students and staff at Walton Academy were celebrating an incredible achievement as the Department for Education’s 2019 performance tables were published on Thursday, 17 October 2019. The academy has once again topped leaderboards as the best performing school in Grantham and is now also the top school in the whole county of Lincolnshire for Progress 8. The latest tables mean that Walton’s score of ‘well above average’ also places it within the top 1% of schools in England.
Progress 8 is one of the most important indicators for measuring a school’s success, showing how much progress pupils make from their starting point at secondary school (Key Stage 2) through to completion of Key Stage 4.
Additionally, Progress 8 Attainment scores score are based on how well pupils have performed in up to 8 qualifications, which include English, Maths, three English Baccalaureate qualifications including Sciences, Computer Science, History, Geography and Modern Foreign Languages, and three other additional approved qualifications.
Walton’s Progress 8 score of 0.98 (well above average) indicates the huge strides students at the academy make in their studies and on completion of their GCSE exams.
Principal, Will Teece, said: “We are immensely proud of what our students have achieved, as these results open the door to the next chapter in their lives and allows our students to follow their ambitions. Our position in the performance tables reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment of both students and staff and our continued desire to improve.
“Each year we have improved our outcomes and this ambition remains for our students who have yet to sit their exams. We have a clear vision to ensure all students achieve their full potential and leave Walton as well rounded individuals, equipped to meet the ever changing demands of the society they enter. We invest significant time in character education which isn’t reflected in these tables but is of equal importance to our community, we want our students to be strong of mind, heart and will.”
Senior Principal, Caroline Saxelby, added: “I am immensely proud of the achievements of all our students. For Walton to be in the top 1% of all schools nationally is outstanding and a true reflection of the talent, ability and hard work of our students and staff. Walton continues to deliver an exceptional educational experience combined with strong pastoral care. High expectations and aspiration pervade the academy; and as always we are relentless in ensuring ‘everyone fulfils their potential’.”
