A YORK secondary school has been crowned Comprehensive School of the Decade.

The Sunday Times Comprehensive School of the Decade by Parent Power accolade has been awarded to Fulford School.

Head Steve Lewis, who is also CEO of South York Multi Academy Trust, of which Fulford is a founding member, said: “I am delighted that Fulford School has been recognised by The Sunday Times Schools Guide.

"For the past two years we have been awarded the State Secondary School of the North, and this year it is a great honour to be named Sunday Times Comprehensive School of the Decade.

"We are a school rooted in our community and committed to comprehensive education so it is particularly pleasing for this to be recognised. We are proud to represent all the fantastic comprehensive schools up and down the country who work tirelessly to support and educate pupils irrespective of their starting points.

"Over the past decade many members of our community, teachers, leaders, governors and trustees have shaped our school and I would like to thank them all for the contributions they have made.”

The Sunday Times Schools Guide, is published in The Sunday Times and online this Sunday, November 29.

As well as assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school basis, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority or nationally. There are also live links to school websites and schools’ most recent inspection reports.

Parent Power is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s best schools. The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of examination entries gaining A* to B grades at A-level (which is given double weighting) and the percentage of entries graded 9, 8 and 7, at GCSE and iGCSE.

Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “Fulford sets standards to which all comprehensive schools should aspire. Restless in its search for continual improvement, the school has steadily climbed The Sunday Times’ Parent Power rankings over the past decade to now stand at a high point with just one non-selective non-faith school ranked above it. Our Comprehensive School of the Decade award is the toughest to win on account of there being so much competition.

"While it is designed to recognise sustained academic excellence, it is also a recognition of what can be achieved when industrious pupils, inspirational teachers and supportive parents work together in a joint endeavour.

"Honesty, empathy, ambition, respect and tolerance are guiding the principles which underpin Fulford’s inclusive and supportive culture creating an environment where students can flourish in and out of the classroom.”