GCSE performance tables published today show that most of the schools in Basingstoke and north Hampshire did better than the national average last year.

Of 15 schools in The Gazette area where GCSE exams were sat, 10 were above the national average on the key measurement of how many pupils managed to achieve at least five A*-to-C grades including English and Maths. The figure for all types of school across England, after final adjustments and corrections since the summer, was 59.4 per cent.

The independent Lord Wandsworth College in Long Sutton was top of the list, with a figure of 93 per cent, followed by another independent - The King’s School in Sarum Hill, Basingstoke, with 82 per cent.

Of the state-funded schools, Testbourne Community School in Whitchurch was top, with 76 per cent of pupils achieving the benchmark level. The Hurst Community College in Baughurst also posted an improved score of 61 per cent, up from 52 per cent in 2011, although this school’s benchmark performance has been up and down like a rollercoaster in the last four years.

Aldworth Science College in Western Way, South Ham, was up to 60 per cent. In 2010 only 34 per cent of pupils achieved five good grades including English and Maths.

However, there was bad news for Everest Community Academy in Popley, Basingstoke, which, with a score of 34 per cent, emerged as among the bottom five of all secondary schools in Hampshire. When the exam results were published in August, Everest headteacher Julie Rose refused to release the benchmark figure for the school, saying she had been advised not to by the Academy Enterprise Trust, which runs the school in Oxford Way. This was because of the national row about the way English papers were marked, she said.

Fort Hill Community School in Winklebury, Basingstoke, suffered a downturn in form, posting a figure of 42 per cent, which was down from the school’s achievement of 56 per cent in 2011.

Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College in Wessex Close, Basingstoke, also did poorly, recording a drop in performance from 59 per cent in 2011 to 43 per cent in 2012. Headteacher Betty Elkins was unable to give The Gazette the figure in August, saying there were problems with the English results.

The Vyne Community School in Vyne Road, South View, Basingstoke, although still below the national average, posted a big improvement in performance, up from 34 per cent in 2011 to 44 per cent last year.

The percentages of pupils achieving five A*-to-C grades including English and Maths were as follows:

  • Lord Wandsworth College: 93 per cent
  • The King’s School: 82 per cent
  • Testbourne Community School: 76 per cent
  • Costello Technology College (The Costello School): 72 per cent
  • Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School: 68 per cent
  • Robert May’s School, Odiham: 68 per cent
  • Sherfield School, Sherfield-on-Loddon: 68 per cent
  • The Clere School, Burghclere: 63 per cent
  • The Hurst Community College, Baughurst: 61 per cent
  • Aldworth Science College, South Ham: 60 per cent
  • Brighton Hill Community College: 56 per cent
  • The Vyne Community School: 44 per cent
  • Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College: 43 per cent
  • Fort Hill Community School: 42 per cent
  • Everest Community Academy: 34 per cent.