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‘Those league tables are skewed’: Peterhead Academy is thriving, says head

Gerry McCluskey says the school league tables give a false picture of the school’s performance.

Gerry McCluskey took over as Peterhead Academy head teacher in August 2022. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson
Gerry McCluskey took over as Peterhead Academy head teacher in August 2022. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Peterhead Academy head teacher Gerry McCluskey insists its poor showing in the school league tables gives a false picture of the school.

The school was ranked bottom among secondary schools in Aberdeenshire, and 66 of 69 across the seven local authorities in the north and north-east.

The Press and Journal ranked state secondary schools using newly-released Scottish Government data on the percentage of school leavers earning five or more Highers in 2023.

However, Mr McCluskey said the league tables were “skewed”, and gave a false picture of the school’s performance.

He said the town’s wealth of employment opportunities meant more pupils leave after S4 than at other schools.

Here’s Mr McCluskey’s arguments for Peterhead being a true north-east success story despite the league table results… (and you can read the full interview here)

Peterhead Academy head teacher Gerry McCluskey warned parents not to read too much into school league tables. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

‘Unreasonable to make that comparison’

“It’s not possible to base an evaluation of the quality of a school, and what happens in a school, just on that one metric [of percentage of school leavers earning five or more Highers].

“In 2023, 35% of our leavers at Peterhead Academy left after S4. That league table only counts qualifications at Level 6 or more. For a pupil who left school at the end of S4, it’s not possible for them to get Level 6 qualifications.

“So the school’s score in this measure comes from the 65% of leavers who left after S5 or S6.

“To give you a comparison, if you take Bearsden Academy in Glasgow, 2% of their leavers cohort are from S4.

“Staying on to S6 provides a greater chance of a higher number of students gaining a higher number of Highers.

“So I think it’s unreasonable to make that comparison.”

So what’s so good about Peterhead Academy’s results with young people?

96% of Peterhead Academy leavers achieve a positive destination…and town is ‘self-sustaining’

Mr McCluskey pointed out that the school’s National 5 results were improving year on year.

And crucially, the percentage of leavers at Peterhead Academy achieving a positive destination after school is 96%.

Peterhead Academy head teacher Gerry McCluskey with school ambassadors (from left) Zachary Burkill, Brooke McLean, Maja Pepel, Dylan Duffus, Maja Kirszman, Jake Duncan and Reece Birkett. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

“That’s the same as the likes of Bearsden Academy,” said Mr McCluskey.

“Yes, they’re getting more Highers, but while our young people are leaving school earlier, they’re still moving on to employment, further education, higher education, graduate apprenticeships.

“What you also need to take into account is that as a community, we’re almost a self-sustaining economy in Peterhead. We’ve got a lot of opportunities, we’re the biggest town in Aberdeenshire, there’s a lot of businesses, a lot of industries that are very attractive for our young people to go and work at.

“There are a lot of very well-paid jobs in this area that our young people can access earlier, without having to have Highers.”

Partnering with Peterhead and north-east businesses to prepare students for life after school

In a wide-ranging interview with The P&J, Mr McCluskey pointed to the school’s partnerships with local businesses, industry, and community organisations.

Indeed, Peterhead Academy has worked with 60 different partners since Mr McCluskey took over as head teacher in August 2022, all aimed at getting students thinking about life after school. These include the likes of Score Group, Aberdeen FC Community Trust, and Aberdeen University.

Pupils have visited local businesses like Shell St Fergus, with employers regularly welcomed to the school to speak to students.

Peterhead Academy also now has its own pupil-run coffee shop and bakery, thanks to partnerships with Symposium Coffee and Vegan Bay Baker.

Peterhead Academy head teacher Gerry McCluskey: Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

And one of the first things Mr McCluskey did upon becoming head was set up five schools of excellence. These are science and engineering, citizenship, football, dance and home economics.

The idea is inspired by the US college system, whereby students are given the opportunity to do things they love, but to do them, they also need to be pulling their weight academically, have good attendance and so on.

‘This school will go from strength to strength’

Mr McCluskey sought to reassure parents that Peterhead Academy is in a good place, and advised them not to be blindsided by league tables.

“It’s important parents know that the statistics behind those league tables are skewed,” he said.

“This school gets more compliments than it gets complaints. We don’t go looking for them, they come in.

“All our young people here get the opportunity to learn, to achieve, to better themselves, and to identify a post-school destination that they like, that they value, and that they’ll sustain. And that’s what it’s all about.

“Because ultimately, when you leave school, school’s not there anymore. You need to be ready to do something that sets you up for life. We like to think that that’s what we do for our young people.

“That might not be getting 90% of them five Highers, but we like to think we’re doing a very good job.

“I put things out to parents saying how well their kids are doing, and they might think I’m being disingenuous. I’m not. It’s the truth.

“This school will go from strength to strength. I know it will.”

Readers can view the full transcript of our interview with Gerry McCluskey here.

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