Clever pupils propel high school to the top
Renfrewshire’s bestperforming school is second top in Scotland for exam success.
A stunning set of results from Gryffe High has propelled it from the eighth best in the country.
It pipped St Ninian’s, in Giffnock, by a mere 0.14 per cent to secure the second position.
That comes after an astonishing 11 per cent increase in the number of pupils leaving with five highers.
The Houston school was one of just four Renfrewshire secondaries that made it into the top 100.
Headmaster Colin Johnson says the secret is treating pupils as individuals, identifying weaknesses and strengths and then addressing them.
He said: “Our exam attainment has been rising year on year, making significant leaps across many years.
“With the right work, the right infrastructure and our philosophy of concentrating on the individual, we make sure we know our pupils inside out, we help them and build confidence. And it is that which leads to success and we really work and learn together.”
Four out of five pupils in fifth and sixth years sitting highers are now bagging five each.
That 80 per cent strike rate beat the high-scoring St Ninian’s on 79.86 per cent.
And it was only beaten by the perpetual leader Jordanhill, way out in front on 89 per cent.
Jordanhill is funded directly by the Scottish Government, which makes Gryffe the number one council-run school.
The 950-pupil secondary has a catchment of leafy Bridge of Weir and Houston.
But it is the county’s most requested placement by parents.
The league table has come from Scottish Governments data compiled for the influential survey from The Times newspaper.
The table of rankings revealed a mixed bag for Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.
The ‘ winners’ included Barrhead High, now narrowly outside the top 50 in the country, and Paisley Grammar, which jumped 37 spots.
St Benedict’s, in Linwood, Park Mains, in Erskine, and Johnstone High also posted great improvements.
But it was bad news for Renfrew High, which plunged 86 places, and Castlehead fell a colossal 93 spots.
The 2020 performances differed from the year before because it relied on teacher awards, rather than formal Scottish Qualifications Authority exams.
The result for Gryffe has been the pinnacle of more than a decade of sustained academic success.
Head teacher Mr Johnson joined 12 years ago from Bearsden Academy, which remains a top ten school.
He said it is not only exam performance which makes a top school, but “all the small bits” of attainment.
In December, Gryffe became the The Sunday Times Scottish State School of the Year for its “relentless drive” to ensure all children fulfil their potential.
And, last August, the school became the first secondary in Scotland to receive an ‘excellent’ grade under Education Scotland’s short model inspection format.
Mr Johnson added: “Nobody else has managed an ‘excellent’ grading since the new model was introduced in 2017.
“So I think that tells you we are getting it right.
“But Gryffe has always been a fantastic school. We just happen to have a focus on attainment and achievement.”
We make sure we know our pupils inside out Colin Johnson