Challenges are still facing some schools in Fenland, according to this year’s GCSE league table figures.

Whilst the national average is -0.03 (Progress 8 score) and 62.6 per cent of students achieving a grade C or better in English and maths, two Fen schools fell far lower.

Thomas Clarkson Academy in Wisbech scored lowest, with -0.57 in their Progress 8 score and just 43 per cent of students achieving a grace C or better in English and maths.

Sir Harry Smith Community College in Whittlesey was given a Progress 8 score of -0.23. They did, however, fare better in the amount of students achieving grade C or better in English and maths – 60 per cent.

However two schools in Chatteris and March have reason to celebrate after beating the national average.

Cromwell Community College achieved 0.14 on their Progress 8 score; compared to -0.03, with 68 per cent of students gaining a grade C or better in English and maths.

Neale-Wade Academy in March scored 0.08 and 64 per cent, also beating the national average.

This is the first year that the government is using its new Progress 8 measure to rank the performance of schools at GCSE.

The old ‘gold standard’ only counted GCSE grades at C or above. Now, schools get credit for the amount of improvement all pupils have made since they left primary school.

It is based on the results of up to eight qualifications, including English and maths, which are given particular prominence.

According to the Department for Education, Progress 8 has been designed to encourage schools to offer a “broad and balanced curriculum at KS4” and to “reward” schools for the teaching of all their pupils.

The new benchmark is based on the progress pupils make from the end of primary school until the end of secondary school.

Today’s data from the DfE also includes provisional Attainment 8 figures, which measures the achievement of a pupil across eight qualifications: maths (double weighted), English (double weighted), three English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects and three other subjects.

It is calculated by converting existing A*-G GCSE grades into numbers.

According to the DfE, the average Attainment 8 score per Cambridgeshire pupil in 2015/16 was 51.4, up from 49.3 the previous year.

The DfE calculated the average Attainment 8 score across England as 49.8.