Secondary schools in Weymouth and Portland fell below the government's minimum standards in 2017 according to GCSE league tables which have been published.

But it was a different story for schools in Bridport and Lyme Regis.

The tables follow the biggest shake-up of exams for a generation with traditional A* to G grades being gradually replaced in England with a 9 to 1 system.

It is part of wider reforms designed to make GCSEs more rigorous and challenging.

Headteachers in Dorset warned that the tables give only a small snapshot about student achievement in any school.

Schools are judged against a measure called Progress 8 which looks at the progress a pupil has made between the end of primary and the end of secondary school, and their results across eight GCSEs compared to their achievement of other youngsters with similar abilities.

A secondary is considered to be below the government's floor standard if, on average, pupils score half a grade less (-0.5) across eight GCSEs than they would have been expected to compared to pupils of similar abilities nationally.

The Department for Education insisted that where schools have fallen below the floor standard, the data is "a starting point for a conversation about school improvement".

Dorset County Council and school leaders said the new grading system affecting English and maths has complicated the way school performance is calculated compared to previous years – and the hard work of students and teachers has been praised.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The league table

The results saw The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis come out on top with an above average Progress 8 score of 0.38.

Dr Richard Steward, headteacher at The Woodroffe School, said: "Although the league tables give only a snapshot of a school’s performance, I was nevertheless pleased to see that Woodroffe managed to top the tables for Dorset in every category.

"It is also good to note that our success in terms of the overall progress score is not achieved at the expense of a narrow curriculum offer. Our students excelled not only in maths and English but in a wide range of other subjects, with the numbers entering the full Ebacc way ahead of other schools in the county. 

"It is also important to remember, however, that the data is not just data; it reflects the fantastic efforts of committed and enthusiastic students, as well as the dedicated work of the teachers who enable them to get such good results." 

The Woodroffe school was followed by The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester with an above average score of 0.36.

Headteacher at The Thomas Hardy School, Mike Foley, said he was "delighted" with the results but said the grading system changes are "unprecedented" and come at a hard time of ongoing cuts.

He said: "We are really really pleased with the results at Thomas Hardye, but I would like to congratulate all the schools that have had to handle such a challenging curriculum change at a time where there has been so many cuts.

"Without a doubt this change has made the exams harder and teachers and students have had to go through massive changes at GCSE levels."

Beaminster School, The Sir John Colfox Academy and Dorset Studio School were rated average in the league tables.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

David Herbert, head of the Sir John Colfox Academy with former head Kay Taylor

David Herbert, headteacher at The Sir John Colfox School, Bridport, said: "'We are of course delighted to be above both the national and county averages for all of the attainment measures used in these GCSE league tables. To be 10 per cent better than the national average in the EBacc and three per cent above in the new ‘Attainment 8’ measure is an excellent achievement and reflective of how many of our students achieved the new 9/8 or A*/A grades. Our students worked hard and were rewarded with great results.

"As ever though these tables provide only a very small snapshot about student achievement in any school. It’s always a shame that specific subjects are not recognised and celebrated."

All Saints School in Weymouth was rated well below average with a score of -0.6. The Wey Valley School and Budmouth College were also rated well below average at -0.68 and -0.87.

Reacting to the table, Sara Adams, principal at Wey Valley, remained positive.

She said: "We are very proud of all our students. We were delighted that within our school we saw achievement at the highest level with multiple grade 9s placing them in the top two per cent nationally. This year's examination results represent the new GCSEs and, therefore, the data cannot be compared with previous years. 

"As our recent Section 8 Inspection confirmed we have a clear and accurate view of our school and our actions are resulting in improved progress. "

The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy – which has since become Atlantic Academy Portland – was rated a well below average score of -0.94.

Speaking at exam results this time last year, IPACA's then Acting Principal Gary Spracklen said: "We want to do better, we want to provide better education for children on Portland. In order to secure success in the future we need to create an engaging curriculum for all of our children.”

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

Deborah Croney

Dorset County Council Cabinet member for economy, education, learning and skills Cllr Deborah Croney said: “Secondary school performance tables released yesterday reflect the ongoing wholesale reforms to GCSEs and performance measures.

"Changes to the benchmarks, grading and point score systems have resulted in a higher degree of volatility and results which are not clearly comparable to previous years. In some areas this has seen an apparent fall in results – not just in Dorset, but across the south west and elsewhere.

“We celebrate the success of many pupils and schools across Dorset and, where needed, continue to work closely with schools in the coming year to ensure that all pupils can perform to the best of their ability.”