Going out in style

TWO schools which are destined to close are going out in style.

Counthill and St Augustine’s, Werneth, are both celebrating large jumps in GCSE results in today’s league tables.

But it is a mixed bag for others being axed under Oldham’s £266 million secondary school reorganisation.

The number of Counthill pupils notching up at least five A* to C grades has soared from 43 per cent to a staggering 78 per cent.

While those achieving the Government’s gold standard — five top grades including English and maths — has also leapt.

Head teacher David Lack said: “These results are fantastic; we have focussed this year on personalising study programmes for every pupil.

“The staff and pupils deserve recognition for their outstanding work this year.”

Counthill will merge with Breeze Hill in September to create one of Oldham’s three academies, while St Augustine’s will merge with Our Lady’s, Royton, in 2012 a new Roman Catholic high school.

Both has been turned around after poor Ofsted reports.

St Augustine’s chalked up the borough’s biggest rise in results when English and maths are included, up 15 per cent, followed by Hathershaw and Radclyffe.

Delighted head teacher Mike McGhee, said: “I bet you would struggle to find a school in the country that can match that level of improvement.

“We are absolutely delighted, it has been a rapid journey over the last two years, but this is just one step, and we expect 2010 to be even better.”

Oldham is ranked 108th out of 150 local education authorities, down one place. However, results including English and maths increased to 46.8 per cent.

The three schools below the Government’s target of 30 per cent are all being replaced by academies: Breeze Hill, Kaskenmoor and Grange. They are among the country’s worst performers while Kaskenmoor’s persistent absence rate is also one of the worst nationally

Failsworth, Saddleworth and North Chadderton are among the country’s top 200 schools for consecutive improvement since 2006.

Radclyffe has borough’s best contextual value added score which measurers pupils progress and head teacher Hardial Hayer said: “We have worked very hard over the last few years to create the right environment for learning, and I am really pleased for everyone.

“We have high expectations of students, which is beginning to pay dividends, but even so we are way beyond our target of expectation.”

North Chadderton School did not submit absence figures.