IT was a mixed bag of results for schools in West Dorset as annual league tables were published.

Changes have been made to the way schools are measured this year, with a new performance indicator called Progress 8. This measures how much progress pupils make from primary schools to secondary schools across eight qualifications.

A score of zero is the national average, while a score of below -0.5 means the school is the government’s ‘floor standard’ and means the school will be monitored more closely in future.

The Sir John Colfox School scored -0.09; Beaminster School scored -0.28 and the Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis scored +0.23.

All schools in the area performed well when it came to the percentage of pupils achieving A* to C in both English and maths. The figure stood at 60 per cent for Sir John Colfox, 61 per cent for Beaminster and 77 per cent at Woodroffe School.

David Herbert, headteacher of Sir John Colfox School said the results showed ‘only a tiny snapshot about student achievement’.

He added: “The performance measures being used from this year are much different from what have been used before.  We are pleased to be at, or above, national averages in all of these new measures in the first year they have been used and one that has not been easy for many schools.

“We are really pleased with the results from 2016 and the results from individual subjects that don’t appear in these tables that have exceeded national averages for high grade passes. Of course we must all remember that these results belong to the children and are the results of years and years of hard work and commitment”

Keith Hales, headteacher at Beaminster School, said: “The Performance tables provide a range of Government led indicators by which parents can assess school success. Most importantly, schools need to ensure that students are prepared, and enabled, to continue into further education or training. Therefore, I am delighted that our broad and balanced curriculum, including Art and Technology, has ensured that 99 per cent of our students have met this goal and that our Sixth Form is rated in the top 25 per cent of the country.”  

Dr Richard Steward, headteacher at Woodroffe School said they were ‘delighted’ with the results.

He added: “Examination performance at The Woodroffe School has been consistently outstanding for a number of years and staff and Governors of the school are delighted to see that the efforts of the students they teach result in such strong outcomes.

“The success of the school is undoubtedly enhanced by its role as a Teaching School, leading an alliance of over fifty schools, and as one of only thirty two National Maths Hubs. Students and staff benefit from the enormous opportunities provided by our involvement in these enhancements to the School’s activities.”