Fulford School in York and Silverdale in Sheffield named among best in UK this decade in Parent Power rankings

Schools have been ranked by the national newspaper.

The Fulford School, part of the South York Multi-Academy Trust has been named the Sunday Times Comprehensive School of the Decade by Parent Power, the publication's schools guide, which will be released in this weekend's edition.

And Sheffield's Silverdale School has won North State Secondary School of the Decade.

The 28th edition of Parent Power identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their most recently published examination results.

It also allows parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority or nationally.

The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of examination entries gaining A* to B grades at A- level (which is given double weighting) and the percentage of entries graded 9, 8 and 7, at GCSE and iGCSE.

Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “Fulford sets standards to which all comprehensive schools should aspire.

"Restless in its search for continual improvement, the school has steadily climbed The Sunday Times’ Parent Power rankings over the past decade to now stand at a high point with just one non-selective non-faith school ranked above it.

“Our Comprehensive School of the Decade award is the toughest to win on account of there being so much competition. While it is designed to recognise sustained academic excellence, it is also a recognition of what can be achieved when industrious pupils, inspirational teachers and supportive parents work together in a

joint endeavour.

“Honesty, empathy, ambition, respect and tolerance are guiding the principles which underpin Fulford’s inclusive and supportive culture creating an environment where students can flourish in and out of the classroom.”

Steve Lewis, Headteacher of Fulford School and CEO of South York Multi Academy Trust, said: "For the past two years we have been awarded the State Secondary School of the North.

This year it is a great honour to be named The Sunday Times Comprehensive School of the Decade.

"We are a school rooted in our community and committed to comprehensive education so it is particularly pleasing for this to be recognised.

"We are proud to represent all the fantastic comprehensive schools up and down the country who work tirelessly to support and educate pupils irrespective of their starting points.

Fulford is a fantastic school.

"It is successful due to its highly motivated pupils, talented and committed staff and supportive parental/carer body

"Over the past decade many members of our community, teachers, leaders, governors and trustees have shaped our school and I would like to thank them all for

the contributions they have made.

"Trustees, governors and our staff have great ambition for the school. We will continue to work, aligned to our values, for the benefit of all."

Nick Rodrigues, the deputy editor of Parent Power, also praised Silverdale for being recognised as the North State Secondary School of the Decade.

He said: "Last year, Silverdale got the top A-level and GCSE results in Sheffield and it also won our North State Secondary School of the Year award in 2017. It’s in the top five per cent of schools in the country for progress at A-level and is an Ofsted 'outstanding' school. With such an exceptional record Silverdale deserves to be recognised as the North State Secondary School of the Decade.”

“In this comprehensive school no one is left behind, pupils are not only challenged to give their best they are personally supported and motivated to achieve it.

"Under the leadership of Sarah Sims all students have the opportunity to broaden their skills through a wide range of extracurricular activities that include music, theatre, sport, adventure, service and leadership. This allows them to broaden their life experiences and boosts their confidence. Children leave well prepared to take the next steps in education and life.”

Sarah Sims, Head of Silverdale School, said: "This is a win for Sheffield, not just for Silverdale.

"Our students comes from across the city into both our school and sixth form. And our teachers have taught at schools across Sheffield before joining us. So it’s a reflection of the hard work of everyone who has contributed to our school community over the past decade in this fantastic city."