HUNDREDS of secondary schools have been named for poor performance – including five in Hampshire.

Figures released show 329 state secondary schools in Britain fell below the Government's floor targets after failing to ensure that enough pupils gained five good GCSE grades and made sufficient progress in English and maths.

They include Redbridge Community School and Chamberlayne College for the Arts, both in Southampton, the Quilley School in Eastleigh and Bridgemary School and Brune Park Community School, both in Gosport.

The Department for Education (DfE) does not publish a list of schools it considers below its benchmarks.

But the Press Association has drawn up the list through analysis of the DfE’s methodology for calculating under-performing schools.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the results, based on last summer's GCSE grades, show how far the nation has come in raising standards, but added that the Government will tackle the ''pockets of persistent under-performance''.

Overall, 329 state secondary schools in England did not meet the minimum benchmarks this year.

In Hampshire, pupils achieved well, with 59.7 per cent surpassing the benchmark, but in Southampton itself only 50.6 obtained the required five A* to C results.

Daily Echo:

Councillor Peter Edgar, above, executive member for education at Hampshire County Council, was delighted by the county’s results.

He said: “On behalf of the county council I would like to congratulate Hampshire students for their GCSE achievements and wish them every success in their chosen educational pathway, whether that is studying A-levels, entering an apprenticeship or moving on to vocational education and training.

“Around 13,000 16-year-olds in Hampshire sat their Key Stage 4 (KS4) GCSE examinations in 2015 and 60 per cent of students achieved five or more A*-C GCSE passes, including English and maths, outperforming national and regional averages.

“This compares to 59 per cent achieved in Hampshire in 2014, when the national average was 57 per cent.

“These results demonstrate the high standards that our young people strive for and I know they are the result of much hard work by both staff and pupils at schools across the county.”

Meanwhile in Southampton some fared better than others, including Oasis Academy Mayfield, which gained a 17 per cent increase on its results last year.

It was joined in success by Saint George Catholic School and Upper Shirley High School, which both saw a 15 per cent jump on 2014’s figures.

But at the other end of the scale was Chamberlayne College for the Arts, where results plunged from 61 per cent to 34 per cent.

Sholing Technology College also had problems, dropping from 50 per cent to 41 per cent, and Regents Park Community College slumped from 64 per cent to 52 per cent.

At St Anne’s Catholic School, where a huge 88 per cent of students achieved the required standard, headteacher Lyn Bourne was over the moon.

She said: “We were extremely pleased with our results in the summer and hoped for good news when our girls’ achievements were compared with other girls across the country.

“The news is wonderful and a great tribute to the staff, students, parents and governors of the St Anne’s School community.

“Our staff are exceptional, encouraging our girls to achieve even more than they thought possible and preparing them for life ahead.”

The all-girl school scored well in maths and science grades, which were in the top 11 and 12 per cent of schools results respectively.

And their results in English were in the top three per cent of the country, humanities in the top two and languages in the top six per cent.

Ms Bourne added: “Clearly the progress that girls make in their time at St Anne’s is exceptional.

“We are not sure exactly where we are in the top 30 schools in the country but rest assured, we won’t rest on our laurels.”

In previous years headteachers have said that while results can appear to drop, there is not always a like-for-like comparison between academic years.

Some argue that a narrowing of the curriculum has meant that achievement has gone up, but this has caused problems at schools where results can count towards performance data.

There are many elements that can cause a change in results, including the decision to only allow a pupil’s first result to count, rather than their best result.

Graham Wilson, headteacher at St George’s School, said he was pleased with the figures the school had produced, arguing they are the continuation of an upward curve.

He said: “The college has gradually built on the successes of the past few years and now has a very strong profile of achievement.

“It is the most oversubscribed college in the city with three people requesting a place for every space available.

“The college’s ASPIRE values are at the heart of our daily routines and the students rise to the challenge of our respect and relationships agenda, aimed at making them independent learners, able to cope with making decisions about the study and applying the knowledge they learn.”

Speaking on GCSE results day in August, Oasis Academy Mayfield principal Phil Humphreys said pupils had beaten all their previous achievements.

He said: “We’ve smashed every record that the academy has ever had. It’s been a sensational year for all the staff and students.”

Daily Echo:

Cllr Daniel Jeffery, Southampton City Council’s cabinet member for education and children’s social care, pictured above, said:

"There is some encouraging news here, and there are areas where we need to improve.

"Overall 2015 was a year of consolidation in terms of GCSE results. We are not complacent and there is still work to do to bring our schools in line with the national average.

"It is the council’s ambition to provide the opportunity for all of Southampton’s young people to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to realise their full potential.

"We remain absolutely determined that every child in the city receives the best possible education and that Southampton is increasingly seen as a place where parents aspire to send their children to school.

"With 85 per cent of all Southampton pupils attending a school that is rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted – which is above the national average – we are well on our way to achieving this."