TEACHERS and students at Blatchington Mill School are celebrating a phenomenal start to the year.

The comprehensive school was deemed as performing above the national average in the Government’s new league tables – a score achieved by only 25 per cent of schools in England.

The new method being used, called Progress 8, measures progress each individual student makes from the end of primary school to the end of secondary school when they sit GCSES in Year 11. The Nevill Avenue school had the second highest Progress 8 score (+0.28) for a state school in Brighton and Hove.

Proud headteacher Ashley Harrold said: “This is a wonderful validation of the work of staff and students. We believe passionately in getting the best out of every individual, and progress made is a much better way to judge this.

In particular the school’s students from disadvantaged backgrounds made terrific progress (+0.16) – more so than the average for disadvantaged pupils at grammar schools nationally (+0.13) and non dis-advantaged pupils nationally (+0.10).

Mr Harrold credited the teaching and culture of high expectations for the progress made by students at the school - where 67 per cent of students were awarded five A*-C GCSE grades including English and maths last summer.

He said: “We understand students as individuals, even though we are a big school, our excellent teachers and pastoral staff are caring and understand their needs.

“Also we have a culture of high expectations that wants them to do as well as possible and treats them as if they’re going to be successful.

“Our students rise to the challenge and they start to belief it themselves and work hard.”

Students in Year 7 very much agree with their head that Blatchington is a fantastic place to learn.

“The teachers really get you involved and there are lots of engaging activities in the lessons to take part in, and they make sure you understand everything,” said Esmae Garvin Mistery, 11.

Bradley Dean, 11, said: “If you’re stuck with something in a lesson there is always a teaching assistant to help you. They are really helpful, if you don’t get it, they sit with you till you get it.”

The Good Ofsted-rated school is part of the recently formed Pavilion and Downs teaching school alliance, composed of six locals schools, set up to help train the next generation of teachers and share best practice in a bid to raise teaching standards in Brighton and Hove and West Sussex.

Along with the leagues table results, the school’s new classrooms are something to be proud of.

The new science laboratory and English classroom is a modern space that reflect the vibrancy of the school community. With plenty of space and the latest technology and facilities, the over consensus is overwhelming positive.

Mr Harrold added: “Blatchington is a fantastic place to work and it is a great school, but there is more that we can do, and we have the energy and motivation to keep on improving things.”