RESULTS at Oxford’s newest academy leapt by 10 percentage points as schools across the county posted record-breaking results yesterday.

Year 11 pupils sitting their GCSEs in June benefited from just a term-and-a-half of lessons under the new regime at Oxford Spires Academy, which was created from Oxford School in January.

But that was enough to see the percentage of pupils attaining five A* to C grades including English and maths jump from 31 to 41 per cent.

Principal Sue Croft said: “We had a short and intensive period of time to make a difference, but it certainly has done so. It has been a mix of tackling the quantity of engaging teaching and giving students more responsibility for their learning.”

She said special tuition had been put on at weekends, after school, and during school holidays to help Year 11s get grades 13 percentage points higher than the results expected of them based on past marks.

She said: “This year, there were 20 or so students who were only a few marks away from getting the C grades and who had been getting them in past papers.

“It could have been higher, and is a massive achievement for our students.

“If we can do that in a term-and-a-half, with five terms for next year’s Year 11 we will be looking for at least another 10 per cent a year on their grades.”

Matthew Arnold School in Botley was again the best performing state school in the county, with 73 per cent of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and maths. Schools that have faced a year of upheaval saw their grades rocket.

Wheatley Park School, which came out of special measures in February, posted its best ever results, with 65 per cent of pupils reaching the Government’s favoured target of an increase of six percentage points.

Headteacher Kate Curtis said: “We have been through everything we do as part of the process of improvement.

“Over two years we have had a 14 percentage point improvement, which is more than most schools, and we are very proud of that.”

She said she hoped more than 70 per cent of students would get five A* to C grades, including English and maths, next year.

Banbury’s North Oxfordshire Academy, set up to replace Drayton School in 2007, saw 49 per cent of pupils make those grades, up from 38 per cent last year.

Rachael Warwick, who took over as head at Didcot Girls’ School last September after it dropped from ‘good’ to ‘satisfactory’ in the Ofsted ratings, said she “could not be more proud” with the school’s best ever results, which rose by seven per cent.

Twenty nine girls got ten or more A* or A grades, as 65 per cent of pupils got five A* to C grades including English and maths.

Elsewhere, King Alfred’s in Wantage, St Birinus in Didcot and Gosford Hill School in Kidlington and Burford School all posted their best ever results.

The county councillor responsible for school improvement, Melinda Tilley, said: “I am very pleased with the results, and the better young people are doing, the happier I am, especially when they are reaching their full potential.”