A Norfolk secondary school has laid a strong statistical claim to be the fastest-improving in the county after rocketing up a new league table.

Wayland Academy, in Watton, has been ranked as fourth school in Norfolk overall for its 'Progress 8' score. This is up from 45th on an equivalent league table.

This Progress 8 statistic is a figure given to a school to show the amount of progress its pupils make across their secondary careers.

Once this score is calculated the schools are ranked in accordance with the amount of progress its pupils have made - as opposed to simply which had the highest set of results.

In the latest table, Wayland Academy's Progress 8 score was ranked as fourth in the county.

The progress has been lauded by the school's principal, Glen Allot.

He said that when the particular cohort arrived it was ranked 45th out of 53 secondary schools countywide for their key stage two results.

Mr Allott said: "It is hard to put into words how proud I am of these students and to see them make such significant leaps in progress is truly amazing.

"Our Progress 8 score was an excellent +0.6. This means that as a year group, our students achieved two thirds of a grade better in range of academic subjects than similar students across England."

The academy, which is run by the Inspiration Trust, also received its best-ever set of GCSE results this past year, with 62pc of its pupils achieving grade 9-5 in English and maths.

This figure is above the national average, of 50pc.

The trust puts this success down to the hard work of its teachers and pupils - particularly throughout the pandemic.

But it also attributes the school's progress to extending the school day - which created enough time for pupils to have 28 one-hour lessons per week.

The school opens for an extra hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, closing at 3.45pm these days instead of 2.45pm on Mondays and Fridays.

Another Inspiration Trust school, Hethersett Academy, was ranked top of the Progress 8 table with a score of +0.99.

Notre Dame High School and Long Stratton High were second and third respectively.