NEWQUAY'S secondary schools have suffered mixed fortunes in the new school league tables, published this week.

Annual figures from the Department of Education show how well schools have performed in the 2011 GCSE exams, ranking establishments in order of the percentage of pupils who gain five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths.

Treviglas scored 47 per cent compared to 53 per cent in 2010 and 58 per cent in 2009. The 2011 national average is 58 per cent.

Although its figures are declining, head teacher Karen Ross said the school had still achieved second place countrywide for the value added measure – indicating the progress and achievement that a student has made since joining the school.

Mrs Ross said: "The class of 2011 successfully sustained the college's history of achieving results showing outstanding value added performance.

"The current score of well over 1,000 for the 'KS2 to KS4 value added measure' in the national performance tables demonstrates the outstanding progress made by all of our students in all of their subjects.

"A main focus for next year will be to ensure more students gain a C grade in both subjects in order that we achieve a higher figure than 47 per cent in the 5 A* to C including English and maths measure."

Mrs Ross said that the school believes in partnerships and was working with the Newquay Learning Partnership of schools, the Atlantic Consortium of Cornwall College, Wadebridge School and Tretherras.

She said: "We are also tremendously appreciative of all the support from our parents/carers, governors, community groups and friends.

Dispute

"That we are second in the whole county for one of the key indicators in the performance tables shows just what we can achieve together."

Tretherras is disputing its GCSE score of 60 per cent of pupils, believing it should be 64 per cent. It claims English results were wrongly marked last summer.

Following extensive appeals in the autumn term to the AQA examination board, 63 students had their English grade raised but AQA took until late November to confirm the grade changes.

Head teacher Sue Martin said: "Its corrections have come too late for national publication and so the published figure of 60 per cent does not reflect the true achievement of the students or the excellent work of the staff."

If Tretherras's claim is correct, it would have seen a 3 per cent increase on last year and this would represent the fourth year in a row that results have improved. In total 92 per cent of students achieved five or more GCSE grades at A* to C in all subjects. It also gained seventh place in the value added performance.

Mrs Martin said: "Last summer we should have been celebrating record results but instead we've spent an awful lot of time and effort correcting the unprecedented numbers of mistakes by AQA.

"I am delighted that the achievement of our students and staff has finally been recognised by the examination board, but am disappointed that its initial poor marking and subsequent delays have meant that the wrong figures are being published nationally. Our English department is a highly skilled team of people who knew the results were wrong and now they have been vindicated."

The situation has been reported to Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.