School league tables are out

In league tables released on Thursday, 52 per cent of the 385 pupils at the school achieved five A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and maths.

The school came 29th out of 54 schools in West Sussex for its number of students achieving five Cs in GCSE subjects.

King's Manor Community College, Shoreham, was 47th in the table, with 25 per cent of its 264 pupils achieving five top-grade GCSEs.

Boundstone Community College's 251 pupils who took their GCSE exams achieved a 22 per cent pass rate for five A* to C grades. The Lancing school ranked 48th in the local authority table for its results.

The private schools in the Herald's circulation area fared better, with The Towers Convent School, Upper Beeding, achieving a 100 per cent pass rate for five A* to C grade GCSEs, putting it second in the West Sussex league table and 30th among the top 50 independent schools in the country.

Lancing College scored an 86 per cent pass rate for five top-grade GCSEs, making it into the top 10 in the county, while Shoreham College achieved a 69 per cent pass rate, giving it 15th place in West Sussex.

The challenge for schools was tougher than ever this year because the figures used to calculate the tables had to include pass rates for English and maths for the first time.

In the past, the key figure has been the percentage of pupils passing five or more GCSEs in any subject.

Now the two core subjects must be among those passes.