Taken from the Bucks Herald Wednesday June 17th 2009

A SCHOOL in Waddesdon is celebrating after it has been told that it is in the top 30 schools across the country.

On Monday morning the head teacher of Waddesdon CofE High School, Peter Norman, received an email from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) telling him that they had excelled against more than 3500 schools across the UK.

The trust is now preparing to work with the school to see what they can learn about how English and Maths are taught so that best practice can be offered to other schools across the country.

Mr Norman said: “We are delighted. It’s great to get this recognition. We always knew that we gave good value for money, but to be recognised in this way in the top 30, it’s terrific news and it’s something for us to celebrate.

“It recognises the hard work of teachers and children and shows that young people in this area can do as well as anybody with this challenge. We aren’t surprised, but we are delighted.

“We want to be part of this national programme. They want to send someone to find out how we get such terrific results to help others.”

Earlier this year the school was visited by the Department for Children, Schools and Families for achieving a high contextual value added (CVA) result.

This score is considered by some to be more important than actual GCSE results because it shows the amount of progress pupils make from when they start at school to when they finish and is based on social indicators as well as exams.

The SSAT have used the CBA indicator as well progress at key stage 2 to 4. In the email to the school, Kirstie Andrew-Power and Alex Galvin from the SSAT said: “we are keen to work with you to capture how you are enabling your students to make such good progress in maths and/or English, to support other schools in replicating effective practice.

“We are producing two publications to share what it is that schools are doing to enable students to make three or more levels of progress in maths and English. One publication will focus on maths, the other on English.

“These publications will be provided to all schools on the Gaining Ground programme and made available to all schools affiliated to the SSAT.”

Describing what best schools do to keep standards high, SSAT said: “these are schools that do not rest on their laurels: they are characterised by a ‘we can do better than this’ attitude.

“They set ambitious targets for their pupils, monitor their progress, personalise the support they receive, and if pupils fall of trajectory they intervene to put them back on course.

“This focus on progression is backed up by a personalised approach to teaching and learning and focused feedback so that each child knows what they are aiming for and what they have to do to get there.

Setting out the purpose of the work, SSAT said: “Our priority now is to ensure that no child gets left behind; we must create a reality where every pupil is making great progress. This strategy is the second step towards this reality.

“This is not about targeting ‘failing’ schools, it is about kick starting improvement in coasting schools to ensure that every child fulfils their potential.”

Marion Clayton, cabinet member for education at Bucks County Council, said: “It really is fantastic news. It’s such an achievement to come in the top 30 out of so many schools and I am absolutely delighted for them.

“One of the most important factors of performance in a school is the leadership and management involved along with everybody who makes a contribution to the running of the school.

“Students and parents have got to play their part too and that’s what happens at Waddesdon.”