OXFORD Academy has hit Government targets for the first time since the school opened five years ago.

Initial analysis of the Sandy Lane West school’s GCSE results indicated results had soared, with 39 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and maths, making it just shy of the Government’s 40 per cent target.

But after verification and some remarks, the final result stands at 42 per cent making the grade, meaning figures have jumped 16 percentage points compared with last year when only 26 per cent achieved the benchmark.

Executive headteacher David Brown said: “For us a 16 percentage point increase is gigantic and we are absolutely over the moon.

“Obviously, we have still got a massive amount to do – it is wonderful but it is only one set of results.”

He said based on last year’s benchmarks, it looked like the school had achieved a value-added score –which measures how well pupils do compared with their starting points – of 1,005.

Last year the school only managed 976, while schools are expected to achieve 1,000.

Mr Brown, who said there had been a huge surge in As and A*s, said: “The big thing it shows is ‘yes you can’ – it raises expectations of what people can achieve.

“Parents need to know you can get As and A*s at Oxford Academy and that’s important.”

He pledged that results would continue to go up and while he would not be drawn on a target for next year, he said it would not be below the predicted 45 per cent threshold for 2014.

He said: “We have got to ensure results continue to go up. We need to increase because people need to know it’s not a blip.

“It’s a sea change.”

New chairman of governors John Putt put the school’s performance down to a “phenomenal effort” from Mr Brown and his staff.

He said: “I am confident we can get this from 42 per cent to maybe 47 per cent next year.

“The team have really been given a buzz.”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “I believe this is only the beginning and we will continue to see further improvements.”

Yesterday, shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg visited the academy, invited by Mr Smith and former schools tsar Sir Tim Brighouse to hear about how the school had achieved the jump and its future plans.

Mr Twigg said: “The big improvement in the school’s results this summer is a testament to the school and in particular the hard work of the children and the teachers.

“From what I have seen there is a real sense the school is focused on building on those improvements.”

The school remains in special measures following an inadequate Ofsted rating last October, and Mr Brown, who was appointed in January, anticipated it would face a full reinspection before the end of the school year.

While not a Government benchmark, Oxford Acad-emy’s figure for 5 A* to C in all subjects this year stood at 82 per cent.

Peers’ tally for the same category floated between 21 per cent in 2005 and 38 per cent in 2008. It went into special measures in October 2005 but came out under the leadership of headteacher Lorna Caldicott in January 2007.