WEYDON School in Farnham has joined an exclusive group of just 46 state secondary schools in the UK to be awarded ‘World Class’ status.

The World Class Schools Quality Mark (WCSQM) was launched three years ago and is unique in that it assesses whether the students themselves are ‘world class’ or not, rather than the school itself.

Weydon was among 17 non-selective state secondaries across the country to receive the award last week.

Each of these schools has demonstrated that they far exceed the highest Ofsted inspection grade, and have successfully undertaken the rigorous WCSQM assessment process to demonstrate that they are a class apart.

Weydon headteacher John Winter said: “Attaining this award is a simply stunning achievement. We are truly honoured to be asked to join this group of just 46 UK schools that hold the charter mark and as such we are also part of an international network of outstanding schools.

“This exclusive group of educational establishments are considered to be a hotbed of innovation, creativity and academic excellence, so we are really excited to share ideas and learn from the other members.

“I am very proud of the students who took part in this project and to the whole school for supporting them in their successful efforts”

­All applicant schools must exceed a challenging threshold in their Key Stage 4 performance before being invited to apply.

Their own students must then develop a compelling case for accreditation through detailed auditing of their school’s capabilities, video submissions in support of their application, and participate in an assessment centre event, at which their performances are assessed against a rigorous framework.

The Weydon students involved in this project were: Abbie Rodger, Jack Cantwell, Heidi Barber, Archie Allen, Leila Al-Azzawi, Ollie Hall, Jonnie Redford, Sophie Hyland and James Casemore.

The award is supported by a range of local and national businesses, further and higher education providers, and parent organisations that are interested in which schools nationally are the best at developing young people to succeed in the burgeoning global economy.