Staff and pupils were celebrating today because their school has been named one of the best places to study in the country.

It has been named by The Good Schools Guide as the best place to study A-level psychology among all state and private schools in England.

Bingley Grammar's physics department was also named as the best in the country for boys working towards an A-level in the subject.

Head teacher Chris Lucas said the entire school was delighted to be recognised by the guide.

"We are pleased that once again our school has been recognised for exceptional performance. This reflects the hard work of our students and the commitment of their parents and our staff," he said.

"Psychology is a very popular subject in the school. There will be over 160 students studying it in the sixth form next year. We are delighted we have the best results in the country."

The Good Schools Guide awards name the best schools to study the 10 most popular A-level subjects, which this year are English literature, maths, biology, psychology, history, chemistry, geography, business studies, physics and sociology.

The awards aim to highlight schools which have excelled in a particular subject by using a "quality of teaching" measure. Instead of ranking schools by overall marks, they use a score that combines the popularity of the subject, compared to similar schools, and how well pupils do in that subject compared to their performance in other exams.

Bingley Grammar's head of psychology, Jo Corner, 28, said the award was recognition of the hard work put in by staff, including fellow teacher Zoe Greenhow, 29, and pupils.

She said: "Receiving the award is really exciting and very surprising. The whole idea behind teaching psychology is to make it real to the pupils' lives so they want to learn more about the issues we are discussing."

Head of physics Denise Chambers 38, said being named by the guide was testament to a rigorous vetting procedure teachers are put through before joining the department.

She said: "Receiving this recognition is fantastic. We go to an awful lot of trouble to employ outstanding teachers and have some exceptionally hard-working pupils."

Ralph Lucas, editor of The Good Schools Guide, said: "So much teaching goes unsung.

"Bingley Grammar has come top... because the courses they run in both A-level subjects are popular and successful."

e-mail: dan.webber@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

STUDENTS REALLY HAVE TO THINK...

Students are provided with a basic understanding of approaches to the subject through research and study.

Topics include human memory, attachment during child development, stress, psychological abnormality, social influence, relationships, sleep and dreaming, language and thought and personal development.

Students must also plan and execute a report examining one of the issues. All investigations must remain within British Psychological Society guidelines.

Some 114 Bingley Grammar pupils, from years 12 and 13, are currently working towards an A-level in psychology, and 92 pupils have enrolled for September.

PUPILS GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS
  • Katie Ritson, 18, of Cullingworth: "Studying here has been brilliant. The way it's taught is fantastic. We have lots of discussions during which we are able to put our ideas forward."
  • Ghizzy Abdellaoui, 18, from Bingley: ""The course has helped me learn a lot about myself and other people. I have told quite a few of my friends to do it in younger years because I have enjoyed it so much."
  • Bingley Grammar School head girl Alice Theobald, 18:" "The teachers are always approachable if we have any problems. I have found the course very interesting."
  • Alistair Hillary, 17, from Bingley:" "The highlights of the course have been learning about your self, your mind and society. I hope to use the knowledge I have gained to go on and study bio-medical sciences"
  • Jade Jackson, 17, of Bingley: ""I have really enjoyed the subject and hope to study psychology at Manchester University and eventually qualify as a child psychologist."
  • Richard Foulder, 17, of Bingley:" "The course is refreshing. I have enjoyed learning more about sleep, stress and how we become attached to each other. I hope to study sociology at Manchester University.