A HIGH achieving group of students have earned another accolade for their school that puts it ahead of the rest of the country.
Ripon Grammar School has come out on top nationally in level three league tables for the progress students who took A levels last summer made in the two years following their GCSEs.
The leavers' results, with 79.4 per cent of grades being a B or better, ensured the grammar school led all schools in the county in 2013.
Now new data reveals that Ripon scored the highest figure, within statistical confidence intervals, for all schools nationally in adding value to students' education during their sixth form years.
Assistant head teacher Kevin Auger explained: "This government mechanism measures the progress of last year's Year 13 over two years and compares them with all students nationally who gained equivalent qualifications.
"The survey results in a figure which, for us, is 0.61, the highest we've ever had. The next best nationally is 0.57, while most good schools come in at around 0.31 or lower - not all schools achieve a positive figure. In effect, our figure means that for students predicted BBB on average, they end up achieving AAB at A level."
Mr Auger said the students had been a particularly motivated year group. He added: "We set aspirational targets and offer excellent teaching as well as outstanding opportunities for students to progress.
"Excellent attitude and healthy competition among students meant they were motivated to work hard and achieve those targets. Together, it was a winning combination."
The majority of students from the year group went on to the country's top universities, with nine securing places at Oxford and Cambridge.
