A handful of secondary schools in Brecon and Radnorshire have been named in the top 10 list of highest performing schools in Wales.
Christ College Brecon came out in ninth place in a list of the best independent secondary school in the country, with Crickhowell High School and Ysgol Calon Cymru also making the top 10 list for best state secondary schools.
The top performing schools in Wales were revealed last week in Parent Power, The Sunday Times School Guide 2022.
The 29th edition of Parent Power identifies the highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their examination results from 2017-19. As well as assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school bases, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority of nationally. There are also live links to school websites and schools’ most recent inspection reports.
The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the average percentage of examination entries in the three years, 2017-19, gaining A* to B grades at A-level (which is given a double weighting) and the average percentage of entries returning 9-7 or A* and A grades at GCSE.
Headteacher of Christ College Brecon, Gareth Pearson, said: “After a heavily disrupted time in education, to be recognised as one of the leading independent secondary schools in the country is very much appreciated.
“This accolade is recognition of the pupils’ hard work and dedication, and of our teachers’ commitment to ensuring each child realises their academic potential, enabling them to grow into assured and accomplished adults.”
Crickhowell High School came out seventh in the Wales-wide list of top state secondary schools, with Ysgol Calon Cymru in Builth Wells coming in at number 10.
Headteacher of Crickhowell High School, Jackie Parker, said: “We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive this ranking amongst so many excellent schools in Wales.
“This achievement reflects the dedication, commitment, hard work and creativity of staff, students, parents governors and everyone in our wider school community.
“I am very privileged to be headteacher of such a fantastic group of students and staff!”
Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “The need for clarity about school examination performance has never been greater after two years of teacher assessed grades, during which for completely understandable reasons, the numbers of top grades increased dramatically.
“We felt it was important to go back to the last sets of moderated public examination outcomes from 2019, 2018 and 2017 to get the most accurate and current view of school academic achievement. By taking a three-year average, we mitigated against relatively poor performance in a one-off year.
“At a time when some schools are making hard to substantiate claims of academic prowess based on outcomes from 2021 and 2020, we believe these rankings – and all the additional information on offer in Parent Power – provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today.”
To read the full list of top schools, please visit: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best-uk-schools-guide-parent-power-tr95xdztg