DEVOTED staff and dedicated students have finally put the new into New Brompton College at Gillingham.

After getting some of the worst GCSE results in the country, staff are celebrating an improvement of 155 per cent in the number of students who achieve five A* to C grades.

The school fell to the bottom of national league tables published in January with only nine per cent making the grade but statistics show 23 per cent have now collected five A* to C grades.

Head teacher Judy Rider has smashed the 13 per cent target laid down by the Department for Education and Skills but knows this is only the beginning.

It may be the best result the specialist performing arts school has had since league tables began but the head knows it is just the start of a huge push to turn it around.

Year 11 students at the school in Marlborough Road have made more progress in a single year than those at 75 per cent of other Medway secondary and grammar schools.

Top student Ademola Okeowo thrilled teachers and mentors by scooping 13.5 GCSEs at A* to C grades. The bright spark is one of a handful of students who has now gone on to grammar school to study for his A-levels in the hope of going to university.

Classmate Jenna Tritten, has similar plans. After gaining 11 A* to C grades, she is studying AS-level dance and a national diploma in performing arts.

The school is even likely to be named one of the most improved in the country when the league tables are published in January next year.

Ms Rider said: “It is a massive improvement but the important thing is sustaining it. This was never about a quick fix solution.

“At the end of last year cohorts of staff left but we’ve now recruited some great members and that has made a huge difference to learning.

Going to university has become a realistic option for some and that is fantastic news.

One of the secrets of the school’s success is an intensive monitoring process, recognised as one of the most successful around.The progress of students is tracked every two weeks. Students who are on track to achieve their target grades are given the green light while those failing are given amber or red lights and are then given extra support from staff mentors.