The official 2018 GCSE results are in and, according to the figures, it was a good year for Gravesend and Dartford.

On average, secondary schools in the area performed better than the rest of Kent, with Dartford Grammar School revealed as one of the county’s highest achievers.

With an attainment score of 73.3, it fell just ahead of the girls’ grammar, which was given a score of 73.2.

The results, released last Thursday, show that as in previous years the county’s selective schools - which admit the most academically able - did better than the comprehensives.

In Gravesend and Dartford, the average attainment score was 47.3, compared to the Kent average of 47.1 and 46.5 for England’s state schools.

The average Progress 8 score in Kent was -0.08, below the national average of -0.02 and Gravesend and Dartford’s average of 0.11.

Progress 8 allows Ofsted to take into account how a nursery, school, college or other provider has actually achieved its results.

Schools are ranked by the government in order of average Attainment 8 score - a tool which measures the exam achievements of a pupil across eight different subjects.

They are also measured against Progress 8.

This score shows how much progress pupils made between the end of key stage 2 and the end of key stage 4, compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

Meopham School did extremely well, with a progress score of 0.45 - higher than three of the area’s grammar schools.

Dartford Grammar School, however, was ranked highest in this category, with a score of 0.93.

Headmaster John Oakes said: “There has been much to celebrate at Dartford Grammar School over the past 12 months.

“The release of Progress 8 data for GCSE and the Value Added data for the Sixth Form has, however, provided the most compelling evidence for success, as both figures measure the progress our pupils make between the age of 11 and 16, and 16 to 18.

“Pupils have demonstrated that, through working closely with their teachers in a happy, supportive and caring environment, they are capable of achieving outstanding results.”