Mercia School: Figures show Sheffield's top 'value added' school listed among best in England

Mercia School, based near Millhouses, Sheffield, was rated as the second highest performing nationally under the system called ‘Progress Eight’, which tracks the academic improvements made by pupils between Key Stage 2 at the end of primary school and Key Stage 4, when they sit their GCSEs.

A score of over +0.5 is classed by education bosses as ‘well above average’ with only a handful of schools in the country reaching a score of more than +2.

For the academic year 2023-24, Mercia has placed second nationally for overall performance of all pupils with a score of +2.09.

Joshua Fisher, who will become the school’s sole headteacher in January 2025, said both teachers and families had a role in the high rating.

He said: “First and foremost, these outstanding figures are down to our phenomenal pupils, who work exceptionally hard and are a joy to teach.

“They are brilliantly guided by their families - these results would not be possible without their ongoing support. In addition, our dedicated teachers know their subjects inside-out and commit incredible amounts of time to the pupils.

“We are so grateful to them all. These scores show that our school is having a powerful impact on our pupils and, we hope the community. These results will change their lives and we are so proud of them.

“Congratulations to all of the pupils and we wish them well in their ongoing studies.”

Dean Webster, who was Mercia School’s founding headteacher and is now Mercia Learning Trust’s executive director of secondary standards, said: “These Progress 8 results place Mercia School as the very best school in the region and amongst the top performers in England. This matters for our pupils.

“They have been able to take up places in the Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form and other successful A-Level providers. This should lead them on to applications for the very best universities in England and beyond.

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“These results show a continued fulfilment of the school’s mission – every child, no matter their background or need, can and will succeed in their academic careers so they can enjoy a happy life after school.

“We are extremely proud of them. These results are extremely pleasing and build on the success from the previous academic year.”

Disadvantaged pupils also fare well at Mercia School. It was also ranked second out of 6,542 secondary schools in England for the progress of disadvantaged pupils, with a score of +2.12.