AN EAST Oxford school is celebrating after being praised for getting the best out of its pupils.

Oxford Spires Academy has been ranked by the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) as among the top 20 per cent of schools nationally for students’ GCSE achievements.

SSAT, an independent national body working to help schools improve, has commended the Glanville Road school for the progress made between pupils’ results at Key Stage 2 and GCSE.

It used Department of Education statistics for all state-funded secondary schools across England to identify the top achievers.

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It found Oxford Spires Academy qualified for an Education Outcomes Award after looking at student performance across eight subjects including English, maths and science.

The Department of Education figures predict what grades a pupil is likely to get at GCSE in each subject, based on the results they achieved in SATS, taken at age 11.

It then compares that to the actual grades achieved, and ranks schools on how pupils progress.

Of the 11 schools in Oxfordshire which are members of SSAT, only 800-pupil Oxford Spires and The Cooper School, Bicester, have won awards.

The Cooper School received a second award for being in the top 20 per cent nationally for high attainment.

Spires principal Sue Croft said: “All of us, every single person, is really pleased that the students have done so well and that reflects well on the school.

“It’s not a surprise to us that we won it because we knew we had done really well and are aiming to do even better next year.”

Mrs Croft said it was important to encourage teachers to make lessons exciting for youngsters and monitor what works well within the classroom.

She said senior staff observed lessons to see what teaching practices worked within the classroom before sharing these with colleagues in a weekly bulletin.

And staff also took part in rapport building sessions to learn how to form positive relationships with students.

Mrs Croft added: “It’s about making learning fun and making sure the children are doing the learning.

The relationship between the students and the teachers is really strong so the students want to work.”

Mrs Croft said along with literacy and maths programmes, students are offered revision workshops, one-to-one sessions with teachers, mentoring from University of Oxford students and outdoor trips to support their learning.

And she said students with challenging behaviour were often confronted by their peers in a formal environment, to work on ways to improve disruptive behaviour.

Mrs Croft added: “It’s all about making sure that a child can be the best that they can be.

“It is our aim to enable all students to have bright futures and we will continue with all our efforts to ensure every students achieves success.”

Oxford Spires Academy and The Cooper School will receive their awards in London on May 12.