A KENT school has been highlighted by The Good Schools Guide as one of the top performing schools in the UK.

Using information supplied by the Department for Education and Skills, the guide analyses A level performances from summer 2004 and has "awarded certificates to the schools it considers have displayed the greatest excellence in each subject for each qualification".

The award names Chatham House Grammar, Ramsgate, as "the best selective state school for boys for leisure and recreation at vocational double A level". This includes grammar and specialist schools and colleges.

Head teacher John Mathews: "This means that our two-year course is rated as the best of its kind in the country.

"This is an excellent achievement and is great testimony to the staff who have worked with students taking this double A level.

"They have been led magnificently by Dave Burney, our head of business studies and economics."

With the vocational course, 30 per cent of the marks are awarded on examination performance, and the remainder is through continual assessment.

Ralph Lucas, guide editor, said: "We have rated every school’s performance in each subject on an index made up of four components.

"These are: - the popularity of the subject relative to that in similar schools; the subject results relative to those of the school as a whole; the numbers taking the subjects; and the absolute percentage of A and B grades.

"This index has been developed to highlight the value added to the results by good teaching."

Mr Mathews said: "Vocational courses have a great part to play in educational development. Several students each year who may not have gone to university have been able to gain very good grades through vocational A levels.

"Leisure and recreation A levels are excellent qualifications to follow careers in subjects such as sports science, and we have strong links with Brunel, one of the top UK universities for sports studies, leisure and business courses.

"These are extremely competitive courses and without the vocational A levels in sport and leisure, our boys would not be accepted.

"The vocational exam passes are also excellent when students are considering employment, particularly with the development of the leisure and recreation professions in the UK.

"Vocational A levels have been recognised as essential in a Government commissioned report into the development of sixth form learning by top educationalist Mike Tomlinson.

"Every head teacher in the UK is in support of these courses.

"They are great for Chatham House and Clarendon House Grammar which now share a totally integrated sixth form timetable – our vocational courses are available to Clarendon students from September, and we are looking at ways of expanding the courses over both schools sites in the town."