Two Luton schools in top 5% in England!

Challney High School for Boys and Denbigh High School achieved their excellent results after being judged on the progress that pupils make between Key Stage 2 and the end of Key Stage 4.

The news was confirmed in a letter from the Minister of State for School Standards, the Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, who wrote to the headteachers at each school to announce the news.

In his letter, Nick Gibb MP, said: “I would like to congratulate you, your staff and your pupils for the high levels of progress your pupils are making,” while he also thanked the staff for their work in “producing such high standards” and congratulated them on their “hard work and professionalism”.

On receiving the letter Denbigh’s headteacher, Colin Townsend, said: “We have always passionately believed that it is our responsibility to maximise the achievement of all students, regardless of their starting points.

“There are in excess of 3,200 state-funded secondary schools in England, so to be highlighted within the top 5% non-selective nationally is a testament to the daily hard work undertaken here and our determination to secure the best outcomes for all our young people.”

The headteacher of Challney High School for Boys, Daniel Connor, said: “I was thrilled, on behalf of all the staff, governors, parents and students at the school to receive recognition from the minister for school standards for our outstanding progress and outcomes in 2016.

“These results are a continuation of sustained high achievement at our school over many years. ”

Schools were judged via a new government accountability system called Progress 8, a type of value added measure, which means that pupils’ results are compared to the actual achievements of other pupils with the same prior attainment.