New College tops the A level league tables

The college, which celebrated a 100 per cent A level pass rate last summer, came second in the district for A level progress at the end of 16 to 18 education.

Principal Richard Fletcher said: “We’re delighted by the DfE’s data.

“It confirms the message we have been giving parents and students for several years, which is that if you want a specialist provider of post-16 education, we are the best in the Wakefield area for A-Level provision.”

The league tables rank educational institutes by comparing students’ progress at secondary level and A level - from the end of key stage 2 to the end of key stage 4, and the end of key stage 4 to the end of A level studies.

READ: A level league tables: How did your Wakefield school score?Eight of 18 schools in the district recorded a progress level of average or higher at the end of key stage 4, when pupils are completing GCSEs or similar qualifications.

Across the district, 40.4 percent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or higher in GCSE English and maths, slightly higher than the national average of 40.2 per cent.

At Wakefield Girls’ High School, 88 percent of pupils achieved this benchmark, compared to just 20 per cent of pupils at Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy.

At A level, schools are also compared by points, which convert grades into numerical values to allow comparison of similar qualifications.

Schools in the Wakefield district scored an average of 30.82 points, a C grade, on A level results, compared to a national average of 33.33 points.

READ: Secondary school league tables: how did your Wakefield school score?New College Pontefract scored an average of 33.58 points, a C+ grade.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School scored the highest, with an average point score of 41.89, a high B grade, while the lowest average result was Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy, where students’ average points score was just 19.71, equivalent to a D grade.

Two thirds of schools in the Wakefield district achieved a progress score of average or above when comparing attainment at the end of key stage 4 with attainment at the end of A level studies.