Kirkby Sports College today saw results for five passes at grades A*-C (including English and Maths) rise by 8.7pc to 43.3pc, up from 34.6pc last year.
Headteacher Bill Leyland said he was delighted with the results which show significant improvements on last year’s figures.
“Today’s results are a sensational acievement for the community as a whole,” he said. The school’s headline figure of 5A*-C including English and Maths rising to 43.4pc proves that our relentless drive to unlock potential and instil belief in the young people of Kirkby has got off to a flying start. The governors, staff, students, parents and wider community have fully bought into our vision of “Excellence for All”. Furthermore, overall 5A*-C has risen from 72.3pc to 85.2pc, ensuring routes to employment, further study or training are open to our community. I am immensely proud of our Year 11s and wish them every success in the future.”
Kirkby Sports College began working alongside Wigan based Hawkley High School, one of the best performing schools in the country, at the end of last year. It is now set to convert to an academy under the Rowan Learning Trust after an order was recently signed by the Department of Education.
Mr Leyland has been leading a vigorous campaign to drive widescale since taking on the role as headteacher in January 2013.
“This is a significant chapter in the history of Kirkby Sports College,” he said. “The college’s GCSE results in the four previous years have shown improvement at a gradual pace. Figures for students achieving five or more A*-C grades (including English and Maths) rose by 7pc between 2009 to 2012. In the last academic year alone we have managed to drive this figure up by a further 8pc, to a new high of 43pc. Today’s results indicate improvement at a more rapid pace. We now need to build on this solid platform to make our college an outstanding place for learning. There is a great sense of optimism at Kirkby Sports College, students and staff have been galvanised by today’s results and our culture of achievement and aspiration.”