PLUME Academy is performing below average compared to other secondary schools around the country according to the latest GCSE league tables.

Data released last week showed Plume’s Attainment 8 score was almost five points below the Essex average.

Attainment 8 shows how well pupils are performing at GCSE level, with extra importance being placed on English and Maths in the weighting.

An A* at GCSE is worth 8 points in the Attainment 8 score, with a G grade being worth one point on the scale.

Plume scored 41.9, lower than the national average of 44.6, and the Essex average of 46.7.

Stats also showed that the school was performing “below average” when it came to their Progress 8 score.

Progress 8 is determined by comparing predicted grades of pupils based on other students of similar ability when they leave primary school and the difference between that number and their actual Attainment 8 score.

On average, pupils at Plume, in Fambridge Road, Maldon, performed 0.3 grade points below their expected attainment level, putting the school in top 30 per cent in the country for Progress 8 scores.

Headteacher, Carl Wakefield said: “A significant number of students secured exceptionally strong outcomes in their GCSEs last summer. Some of these ranked with the very best in the country.

“However, a large number of our Year 11 cohort also achieved excellent outcomes after pursuing curriculum pathways that did not contribute to the overall Progress 8 figures.

“As a result, I was really proud of our class of 2017 and the way they finished their time at Plume Academy was absolutely first-class.”

Elsewhere, Thurstable School, in Tiptree, performed slightly worse than expected.

Their Attainment 8 score was 44.7 and their Progress 8 score was -0.1, which put them slightly below the expected score, but meant they were still classed as “average”.