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GCSE results for every secondary school in the area have declined, according to the latest government figures.
The league tables, published by the Department for Education, compared every school in the country based on 2014 Key Stage 4 exam grades.
The figures were calculated differently from in previous years. Some subjects no longer count and resit grades are not included in the data.
Some vocational subjects no longer count and a new “first entry”’ rule means schools can only enter the original result for a pupil who has retaken an exam.
The changes appear to have affected non-selective schools most, which traditionally have a larger proportion of pupils taking vocational courses.
Sittingbourne Community College, which became an academy in January 2012, registered one of the steepest drops in results, with just 22% of pupils achieving at least five A* to C grades in their GCSEs, compared with 44% in 2013.
Fellow Swale Academies Trust school Westlands saw a similar dip, from 65% in 2013 to 43% last year. The fall follows years of steady improvement.
SCC head teacher Fiona Trigwell defended her school’s record, saying the first entry rule meant the league table results were skewed.
She added: “It’s not fair that the government has done this – it’s not a true reflection of the achievements of the school or the students. Some students really benefit from making their mistakes on the first entry [and] they go on from that and gain better grades.”
Her comments were echoed by Swale Academies Trust head, Jon Whitcombe, who pointed out the percentage of children with five A* to C grades in both of the trust’s secondary schools was actually far higher than the league tables indicated if the first entry rule was ignored – 66% for Westlands and 46% for SCC.
He said: “The league tables are nonsense, they mean nothing. League tables paint a very narrow picture about a school’s performance.”
Other Sittingbourne schools also saw their percentage of youngsters managing five A*-to-C grades drop, although by smaller margins.
Fulston Manor School, on Brenchley Road, which is part of the Fulston Academy Trust, went from 54% in 2013 to 52% in 2014; Highsted Grammar School registered a dip of 1% from 99% to 98% and Borden Grammar School achieved 91% – down 1% on last year.
Alan Brookes, head teacher at Fulston Manor and chief executive officer of The Fulston Academy Trust, said: “We are very pleased.
"We’ve always taught the sort of range of subjects that are now being mainly recognised, we’ve not done endless resits – we’ve done some, but we’ve not done it as a policy.
“We’ve not relied on multiple-award vocational qualifications, so the things that had an impact on other schools in Kent have not had an impact on us.
“Fulston Manor is amongst the top non-selective schools in Kent and one of only a handful to have passed the 50% mark.
“This is a clear indication of the continuing strength of the school and a reflection of the hard work of both and students.”
Jonathan Hopkins, head teacher at Borden Grammar School, pictured, said: “Borden Grammar School was particularly pleased to see improvement in GCSE mathematics recognised in the school performance tables, along with a record percentage of students achieving the English Baccalaureate.
“Furthermore, the school was delighted to see significant improvements in the performance of ‘disadvantaged’ students in both English and mathematics.
"Whilst performance levels fell at both a national and county level, the hard work of staff and students at Borden ensured that our standards were in line with the previous year.”
Highsted Grammar School head teacher Anne Kelly, said: “The achievement of pupils at Highsted, in terms of exam results and pupil progress, was very high, both at GCSE and A-level.
"Ninety-eight percent of pupils achieved five A*-to-C grades including English and maths at GCSE, while 100% of A-level students achieved at least three A-level passes.
“Once again, the school would like to applaud the students and the staff for their strong performances in last year’s public examinations.”
