Record Results For Schools, But Which Is Best?

Students across Somerset were put through the mill over the last

week as they waited on all important A-level and GCSE results.

Today's GCSE results showed record results nationally for the 23rd consecutive

year, following record achievements in A-level exams last week.

So how do we distinguish a 'good' school from a 'bad' one when results are consistently improving, and which is the best school in our our town?

 

A tough question, not

least because the answer is as much a subjective and opinion based

one that must take into account a variety of factors including staff,

facilities and structure.

I'm not going to attempt to make a case for

any one school being better than the rest; Yeovil has a wide range of

institutions that offer educational opportunities right across the

spectrum - and that can only be a good thing, right?

Yeovil College was last week celebrating excellent results from

students on full-time A-Level courses who achieved outstanding pass

rates of 99.1% with 74% of students gaining A to C grades.

94% of AS-Level students passed, along

with 95% of vocational course students on Level Three courses. The good

results have lead to a 20% increase in university applications from the

college and we extend our congratulations to everyone involved.

But students need not look far afield in their efforts to continue

their education - the University College Yeovil (UCY) offers a wide

range of opportunity for further study, some of which you won't find

anywhere else.

HE courses validated by Bournemouth University, the University of the West of England and the University of

Gloucestershire are all on offer, and several UCY courses are unique to the centre including the BSc (Hons) in graphics and

packaging and the FdSc in garden history and heritage horticulture.

New to this year's prospectus are some interesting additions to get your teeth into including FdSc forensic science and BSc (Hons) modern materials. The centre welcomes mature students with open arms and I'd highly

recommend dropping in to one of the open days or ordering a prospectus

if you're thinking of adding another string to your bow.

Schools wise, the Park School (the only independent school in Yeovil)

attained some outstanding results this year, raising the old spectre of

paid for V's state education.

The school boasted 100% pass rates in A-level results for the fifth

year running last week, and today's GCSE results showed that 92% of

students returned an A* - C grade. Do you think the case for more

independent schools is strengthening, or are you happy with the

standard of state-run institutions?

We'd

love to hear from you if you want to recommend a particular school,

college, course or teacher that delivers excellent results and good all

round learning. Should so much emphasis be placed on results anyway?

Such early pressure on our children to achieve can't be healthy, can it?

Don't

forget you can check out our listings where you can review local

schools, and see how they have performed in the league tables.