It found its two strengths were rising standards in Key Stage 3 and in Key Stage 4 mathematics, and effective management of the construction work.

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Another is to continue funding only Key Stage 4 pupils until the end of Year 11 to phase out the free transport over two years.

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Head teacher Dr Peter Kent said much of the school's success was down to Key Stage 4 being spread over three years rather than the traditional two.

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As part of the benchmark, vocational qualifications such as BTecs and NVQs, taken in Key Stage 4 by 14- to 16-year-olds, are given equivalent scores to GCSEs and included in the five GCSEs score.

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But he said if youngsters were targeted in the GCSE years (Key Stage 4), when they were beginning to think about career choices post education, it was not too late to encourage them to take up science options.

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