PUPILS at Inverkeithing High School have smashed records by achieving their highest ever number of passes in Higher exams.

That was just one of the bits of good news which came in a school attainment report praising better exam results, low absence rates and top extra-curricular achievements.

A record high of 36 per cent of pupils achieved three or more Higher passes in S5, while there was another record of 37 per cent who achieved five or more by the end of S6. This was made even more impressive by comparing it to a five Higher pass rate of just 17 per cent seven years ago.

Younger pupils in S4 have also been getting better results, with an incredible 98 per cent achieving SCQF level four qualifications or better in literacy and numeracy, up from 75 per cent in 2012.

There were more encouraging marks in the amount of passes from the 30 per cent most deprived pupils, jumping from 52 per cent in 2012 to 95 per cent in 2014.

There were also good numbers staying on for S5 and S6, with 86 percent and 74 percent of pupils respectively choosing to continue their education. When they did leave, 94 per cent went on to a ‘positive destination’ – either higher or further education, training or employment. Absence rates came in at 6.8 per cent, below the Fife average of 7.9 per cent.

It wasn’t just in exam results that Inverkeithing pupils were showing achievements to be proud of - their extra-curricular activities boasted a wealth of honours, from Duke of Edinburgh awards to charity work.

The pupils managed to raise over £6000 for organisations such as Sport Relief, Children in Need, Mary’s Meals and the Cookie Jar Foundation and almost every pupil in S4 was trained in basic first aid, receiving Heartstart certificates endorsed by the British Heart Foundation.

One pupil won the West Fife Young Entrepreneur Award together with a prize worth £10,000 and 40 S4 pupils achieved Sports Leader awards during their core PE lessons.

There were also plenty of sports stars who shone over the year, including Leah Davie who took gold in the Athletics Fife Schools Championships and became Fife Schools cross country champion.

Swimmer Tain Bruce was selected to compete for Scotland at the UK School Games and took second place in the 200m butterfly at the Commonwealth Games Trials. Fellow competitor Rachael O’Donnell qualified for Commonwealth Games and won silver in the 200m individual medley and bronze in the 200m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games trials.

Continued signs of positive results were also apparent for the associated primary schools in the cluster, with almost all of them showing a three-year trend of improvement in both literacy and numeracy as well as achieving national expectations for Curriculum for Excellence declarations.