Flexibility the key as pupils help to shape their own education

Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, in Bradford, is set to celebrate success with today's tables expected to show the school has "added more value" to their pupil's performance than almost any other secondary in the region.

The value added tables measure a pupil's performance at GCSE against their own grades at an earlier age and against other pupils from similar backgrounds.

Laisterdyke has achieved the best results in Bradford and one of the best in the region.

Principal Joan Law said: "It confirms to us that we are adding value to the pupil's performance.

"We do this through a flexible curriculum which matches the pupils' needs. If our pupils are ready then they can sit their GCSEs early. We have pupils sitting maths GCSE two years early in year nine and some pupils sitting information technology in year eight.

"Every Thursday our pupils in years 10 and 11 have a choices day where they do the courses they want." This can mean pupils leaving the school to do vocational qualifications in work places and colleges or it can mean intensive study to earn GCSE qualifications within a year. Mrs Law said allowing pupils to play a role shaping their own education helped to keep them interested and engaged.

Laisterdyke's overall GCSE scores have, however, seen it targeted in the Government crackdown on schools which fail to get around a third of pupils to the expected standards in English and maths.

In 2008 just 27 per cent of pupils at Laisterdyke achieved five A* to C GCSE grades including English and maths. Last year's results saw the school move above the Government benchmark to 32 per cent.

Mrs Law said: "Our pupils achieve far more than you would expect based on the level they enter the school at and our average point score at GCSE is now above the national average but English and maths is now the focus of future improvement."