Hartland High School is celebrating a significant improvement in GCSE results, with the biggest gains recorded among disadvantaged pupils.
Preliminary data showed performance had increased across all key measures compared with 2025.
The percentage of students achieving a Grade 4 or above in both English and maths increased by 10 percentage points.
The proportion achieving a Grade 5 or above in both subjects also rose by 10 percentage points.
The school’s Attainment 8 score, which measures performance across a student’s best eight GCSE results, increased by 3% for the overall cohort.
Among disadvantaged pupils, Attainment 8 performance increased by more than 11%.
The school said the figures suggested the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers had narrowed significantly.
Nationally, disadvantaged students typically finish Year 11 around a year and a half behind their peers, with Attainment 8 scores around 10 points lower than those of non-disadvantaged pupils.
At Hartland High School, the gap was 1.12 points, which the school said equated to around six weeks of learning.
Headteacher Emily Davey said the results were particularly significant given the proportion of disadvantaged pupils at the Reading school.
“The students in our community deserve the very best,” she said.
“This cohort of Year 11s have shown tremendous resilience and adaptability through periods of change at the school.
“We are so delighted that their hard work has paid off and we are thrilled to see the changes we’ve implemented since we joined Greenshaw Learning Trust starting to bear fruit.”
Ms Davey said Hartland had the highest proportion of disadvantaged students in Reading and almost twice the national average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.
She added that the latest results suggested the school had “almost closed the disadvantage gap”.
“Hartland High School is on a rapid improvement journey and this year’s data is rock solid evidence that the strategies we’ve implemented to improve teaching, culture and attendance are having a significant impact,” she said.
“I’m so proud of all our staff and students and so excited for what’s ahead for the school.”
