A new headteacher has vowed to make his school one of the most improved in the country.

Derek Trimmer, who has taken up the position at Hove Park School, which has sites in Hangleton Way and Nevill Road, Hove, believes it has the potential to be in the top 100 most improved schools.

Mr Trimmer joined Hove Park from Mayfield School in Portsmouth, where under his leadership the number of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and maths, jumped from 15% to 41%.

Last year, while being led by acting head teacher Huxley Knox-Macaulay, Hove Park saw the highest increase in its GCSE results in the city, with the number of students gaining five A* to C g rades, including English and maths, reaching 40.3% – up from 26.5% the previous year.

Mr Trimmer’s aim for his current Year 10 pupils is to get that figure to 60%.

He said: “We have the capacity and the strategies to put us in the most improved 1% of schools in the country.

“There is a real sense that the time is right for change.

The message is it’s everyone’s responsibility.

“If someone asks our cleaners what they do, I want them to say ‘I am helping every child to achieve 5 A* to C grades, including English and maths’. Everyone is involved in it.”

Rewarding students’ achievements is also a big part of Mr Trimmer’s vision.

He hosts lunches on a Friday in his office and every tutor group can nominate one person who has done something well to attend.

On the wall of his office is a photograph of every Year 10 pupil and what they are currently on target to achieve in their GCSEs.

Hove Park is currently rated as a satisfactory school by Ofsted and while Mr Trimmer admits that it can take time for a school’s reputation to change he believes it has the potential to transform its image.

He said: “No school can exceed the quality of its teaching.

“Nobody wants to do a ‘satisfactory’ job. Everyone wants to do a good job and it’s just about giving staff the tools to do that. Our staff have really bought into this being an ambitious school.

“It’s an exciting time. Hove Park has huge potential.