Hatfield school’s GCSE exam progress wins praise from minister

SCHOOLS minister Nick Gibb has written to a Hatfield school to praise it for being named as one of the most improved in the country.

Onslow St Audrey’s School was congratulated on its “excellent achievement” of being in the 100 top performing schools based on sustained improvement in the Key Stage 4 performance tables each year from 2008 to 2011.

In the letter to headteacher Paul Meredith, Mr Gibb wrote: “I would like to congratulate your staff, governors and pupils for their hard work and success and to thank you for your leadership in continuing the drive towards the highest standards of educational achievement.”

The Old Rectory Drive school’s GCSE results in 2008 saw 31 per cent of pupils gain at least five A*-C grades including maths and English.

Last year, that figure was 58 per cent.

Headteacher Paul Meredith said: “This is excellent news, but actually it should come as no surprise to those who really know Onslow St Audrey’s.

“Our examination results are above the national average and are constantly improving, and our value added progress places us in the top five per cent of school nationally.

“However, I am very pleased the minister has written to thank our staff, governors and students for their hard work in making ours one of the 100 top performing schools in the country.”

Mr Meredith went on to describe Onslow St Audrey’s as a school with well behaved, happy, thriving and successful young people.

“The reputation of many schools lags five years behind the reality,” he said. “Ofsted has judged our school to be good with many outstanding features and our achievement is now described favourably in national rather than local terms.

“Yet some people like to think of our as a school as the one that existed years ago, long before I was appointed as headteacher. Things are actually very different.”