Students at Fairfield High School in Horfield are among the best in the country for exceeding expectations in their GCSEs.

The latest Government figures show that students at FHS make better progress than those in other schools, with some gaining a whole grade higher across their best eight subjects.

The Department of Education says Fairfield is in the top 15 per cent of schools in England based on Value Added (VA) outcomes. These compare actual grades with what might have been expected given individual starting points. The difference produces the VA score.

The overall figure for the group that took exams at FHS in summer 2014 was 1026, well above the national average of 1000.

Disadvantaged students did even better, with the VA score for those eligible for free school meals at 1028.5 against a national average of 988.5 – a whole grade higher than expected – and students with special educational needs also achieving results well above the national average.

The statistics come from the DfE’s online report to schools. Official data from last year’s GCSEs is due to be published at the end of January 2015.

Fairfield’s head teacher Cat Mangham said the excellent outcomes showed that the school’s emphasis on knowing, understanding and meeting the needs of each individual student was paying off.

“These results are an important milestone in our determination to become an outstanding school,” she said.

“They show that our ethos of high expectations and aspirations, our high-quality teaching and our drive is helping students of all abilities to make rapid progress.”

“The standards our students have reached when they start with us at age 11 give an indication of what they might achieve by the time they leave five years later. But by supporting and guiding them, and working with them and their parents, we are able to help many young people exceed those levels, increasing their options for future success.”