For many pupils, secondary school is when things start to get a little more challenging.
They’ll have to start swotting for exams, and working towards their first real qualifications - their GCSEs - all while going through one of the most intensive periods of social and emotional development in a young person’s life. This is why it is so important that they go to a school can support and guide them through this tumultuous time, making sure they learn the key academic skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
We’ve created a league table ranking state-funded secondary schools from across Preston city and the wider area, using their most recently-available ‘Progress 8’ scores (currently for the 2022/23 school year, until this year’s data has been finalised and published). This is a unique figure based on GCSE results and other student achievements, which helps the government to determine how quickly students at any particular school are learning and progressing compared to their peers from similar primary schools nationwide. Any score above 0 is positive, and we’ve selected only schools with neutral scores of 0 or better.
All schools on the list also had an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before this measure was recently dropped. This means that the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and student safeguarding were all found to either meet or exceed government standards last time the school was inspected.
Here were the ten schools that topped the list from across the Preston area:
1. Preston Muslim Girls High School
At the top of the list is this Islamic girls’ secondary school in Preston’s Deepdale area, although pupils of other faiths can still apply for a place. It was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, it had an exceptional Progress 8 score of 1.15 - making it ‘well above average’. | Google
2. Eden Boys' School
This is an Islamic boys’ school in Preston, although pupils of other faiths are once again welcome to apply. It too was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, it had a great Progress 8 score of 0.97 - also placing it in the ‘well above average’ band. | Google
3. Penwortham Girls' High School
This is a girls’ secondary school in Penwortham, formerly rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, it had a Progress 8 score of 0.73 - marking it as ‘well above average’. | Google
4. Broughton High School
This is a secondary school in Broughton, just north of Preston. It was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2022/23 school year, it had a Progress 8 score of 0.56 - putting in firmly in the ‘well above average’ band. | Google