Dundee schools soaring

New figures reveal a marked improvement in performance

DUNDEE has leapt from the bottom of the school league table and has now overtaken Edinburgh.

The performance statistics, released by the Scottish Government, marks a significant improvement from the previous year when it was revealed the city was the worst-performing area i n the country.

The 2018 data showed just one in eight secondary schools in the city, St John’s RC High School, achieved results above expectations while six under performed.

It also showed two city secondary schools, Baldragon and Braeview academies, were among the 10 worst performing state school in Scotland – achieving results 15% lower than expected.

But this year’s data, which was originally published by The Times, shows the best performing school in Dundee was Grove Academy, with 44% of its pupils attaining five Highers or more.

Harris Academy came in second, with 37% achieving five Highers or more, followed by St John’s with 27% of pupils getting the haul of qualifications.

One of last year’s worst performing schools, Braeview Academy, experienced an increase in the number of pupils achieving five or more Highers, rising from 12% to 21%.

However, Baldragon Academy experienced a slight decrease, with levels falling from 14% in 2018 to 13% this year.

Education convener Stewart Hunter said he was “pleased” with the improvements while recognising there was still more work to be done.

He added: “A significant effort has been made in the last year to improve year-on-year.

“Last year’s figures weren’t good despite overall performance in schools over the last 10 years. We are pleased that work done over the last year has borne fruit.

“Our objective now is to sustain that while recognising more work needs to be done.”

Education convener Stewart Hunter is pleased with the improvements.