UNIVERSITY Academy Keighley bosses are delighted with their placing in the latest school performance tables.

The school in Beechcliffe scored highly in the new Progress 8 ranking in provisional figures for last summer’s GCCE students, released last week.

Academy principal Bernie Addison said that for the second year running UAK was the only school in Keighley to record a Positive Progress 8 score.

She said the new grading measured the progress all pupils made from leaving primary school to gaining their qualifications in Year 11.

She said UAK’s positive score, which was well above Bradford’s average, meant that pupils make more progress than expected.

In addition to this, UAK recorded the highest grade 4 – broadly a C under the old GCSE grading system – in its Basics measure for English and mathematics, with 49 per cent of pupils achieving this harder measure. This was in contrast to 2015, when only 16 per cent of pupils achieved the level.

Bernie Addison said: “We are delighted with the improvements being made at UAK and it is reassuring that the progress that pupils are making is being recognised as positive.

“I think the performance tables will reassure parents and families that all pupils are being well educated and supported at the academy.”

The progress was also welcomed by Joanne Marshall, UAK governors’ chairman and Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at UAK’s sponsor, the University of Bradford.

She said: “This is a really impressive achievement and is testimony to the hard work of all staff and pupils at UAK. To have made such progress in such a short time is remarkable and to be a beacon of progress in Keighley and the wider Bradford area is outstanding.”

“The University is proud to be part of this continuing story of successful progress and achievement and to be able to play a practical role in helping pupils to develop and fulfil their aspirations and understand the importance and value of their qualifications.”

The Department for Education released its GCSE data last week, revealing that average Attainment 8 score per pupil across UK had decreased by four points for all schools to 44.2.

This was a result of changes to the 2017 point scores assigned to grades, caused by the introduction of the 9 to 1 grading system for GCSEs to replace letter grades.

Less than two-fifths of students achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths.

Full performance tables for all local secondary schools can be downloaded from the government webpagecompare-school-performance.service.gov.uk.