Last updated 12:22, Friday, 15 August 2008

HOT TOPIC: Thomas Burrow (left of centre) discussing his results with fellow students. JON GRANGER REF: 0445482

AN Ulverston school consigned to special measures is fighting back following a big improvement in its A-Level results.
Ofsted inspectors highlighted inadequacies in the standard of education at Ulverston Victoria High School in October last year.
A second blow landed in April when a re-inspection found insufficient progress in student achievement and quality of teaching.
But acting headteacher Denis Fay claimed yesterday’s A-Level results were a reminder that the school had hard working pupils and excellent staff.
Overall, 53 per cent of A-Level grades achieved at UVHS this year were As and Bs – an increase of 10 per cent on 2007.
Mr Fay, who moved to the position from Dowdales School in Dalton following the resignation of Karen Hanks in March, said: “It’s wonderful to see these pupils so delighted, having worked hard for these results at the school from Year 7. It also reflects the quality of the staff and the efforts of Rob Rastelli, who is a fantastic head of sixth form.”
The school’s overall A-Level pass rate was 96 per cent. Twenty seven per cent of UVHS students achieved A grades, beating the national
average of 25 per cent and the north west average of 21 per cent.
Mr Fay continued: “Things are improving here all the time. The results achieved today should inspire confidence in all those who are involved with the school.”
A total of 10 Year 12 students gained a minimum of four A-Level A grades. They are now set to go on to study a variety of subjects at prestigious universities around the country. Their places include medicine at Aberdeen, veterinary science at Liverpool and natural sciences at Birmingham. Sarah Hanks, 18, is set to read English language and literature at Oxford, Jonathan Sloan, 18, earned a place at Cambridge to study engineering, and Calum Devlin, 18, will take on maths and computer sciences at Oxford.
UVHS sixth form head Mr Rastelli, said: “There are some fantastic individual performances and results day, although nerve-wracking, is when the students reap the rewards of their hard work and commitment over the last two years.”