St Thomas the Apostle (STAC) is the eleventh best school in the country, according to a new measure that takes into account pupils backgrounds.
The key measure for judging a school’s performance is usually the ‘progress 8’ score, an annual figure calculated on how well students perform relative to national expectations.
STAC is already placed within the top one per cent of all schools in the country when using this indicator.
But there is an alternative way of ranking schools, created by the Fairer Schools Index, which uses progress 8 but also takes into account the pupils’ backgrounds, including the number from less well off families and those with free school meal eligibility.
When using this system, STAC comes out as the eleventh best school in England, and the third best in London.
“This remarkable achievement is testament to our incredible students, our inspiring teachers and our ever supportive parents and demonstrates exactly what our young men are capable of,” said associate assistant head teacher, Sam Parratt.
STAC, which has a strong focus on creativity and the arts, has staged a remarkable turnaround in the last six years.
Rated ‘outstanding’ since 2014, it was once told by regulators it ‘requires improvement’, but is now known for its high expectations of pupils and wide-ranging extra-curricular support.