SCHOOLS in Surrey have continued to achieve outstanding GCSE results, with 58.4 per cent of pupils achieving five or more A*-C grades.

Over the past 10 years, Surrey's GCSE results have continued to improve and the county is currently 6.9 per cent above the national average of 51.5 per cent.

Paul Gray, Surrey County Council's executive director for children and young people, commented: "This is another good set of results for Surrey's secondary pupils, and schools are to be congratulated for their hard work and skill in achieving this.

"This is especially so, as Surrey secondary schools have had exceptionally high levels of staff turnover, reflecting Surrey's high housing costs. Schools in Surrey have been very thorough in recruiting and supporting new teachers, so that standards are maintained."

The figures show that Surrey's secondary pupils and schools overall are performing in line with expectations.

Thamesmead School, in Manygate Lane, Shepperton, was one of the highest performing public secondary schools in Surrey.

The excellent results, which have made it the best public school in Spelthorne, were achieved via a combination of 66 per cent of all Year 11 students achieving five or more A*-C grades, as well as receiving a new value-added' measure progress score of 98.1, which shows the pupils' improvement since the key stage exams.

Headteacher, Vivienne Porritt, said: "The key to our success is setting challenging targets for students, and giving them the confidence to achieve to their full potential. I am pleased that the new progress measure is used, as that shows how every student is stretched and supported, no matter what their ability."

Ken Langlois, chairman of governors at Thamesmead, added: "I congratulate students and their parents on an excellent set of results, which have enabled students to continue with their choice of education."

Elsewhere, St David's School, in Church Road, Ashford, was the second highest ranked independent school in Spelthorne.

Despite this year's figure falling from 91 per cent of students receiving five or more A*-C grades to 83 per cent, headteacher, Penny Bristow, was happy with her pupils - especially the 100 per cent pass rate by all.

She said: "I am very pleased with the hard work and effort of the girls. Some international students take less than five GCSE's - three students last year - and so our percentage was slightly down, as we have small year groups."

At The Matthew Arnold School, in Kingston Road, Staines, pass results fell by 16 per cent, with 36 per cent of pupils gaining five or more A*-C passes.

In Runnymede, the highest ranked private school was Sir William Perkins, in Guildford Road, Chertsey, with 98 per cent of pupils achieving five or more A*-C passes.

Fullbrook School, in Selsdon Road, Addlestone, was the highest ranked public school, with 64 per cent of students gaining five or more A*-C passes, despite a fall of 12 per cent since last year.

This year's performance tables do not include A-level results.

January 31, 2003 09:30