THERE will be more than 200 per cent more Year 7 pupils coming through the gates of Brighton Hill Community School in September next year than there were in 2013.

Let the enormity of that number sink in for a moment.

There were 83 pupils in the intake five years ago but next year there is expected to be around 250.

That means the parents of some 170 children more than their predecessors five years ago are entrusting the Brighton Way school's staff with setting their children on the path to success - not just in exams, but in life too.

If the same pattern is followed, the school will be at its capacity of around 1,250 students by the time these new Year 7s start their final year at the school in 2023. And, given there were 212 students in the Year 7 intake in September, next autumn's numbers do not appear a fluke.

Scroll back to less than two years ago and on the first day of Chris Edwards' tenure as headteacher, there were 520 students on the roll overall.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a school that from 2011 to 2017 was either ranked as 'requires improvement' or 'inadequate' by Ofsted.

Mr Edwards said: "I don't think there will be many schools in the county like that [with that increase in pupil numbers].

"We had 950 people at our open evening earlier this year - that is unheard of.

"I think people are starting to realise that they can have the best quality education on their doorstep and do not have to go outside of the area to get it.

"We are very grateful for the community showing faith in us."

On social media, #YellowArmy is a regular refrain coming from staff, but it appears indicative of a wider shift in the school's perception of itself.

Mr Edwards added: "I laugh and joke about the Yellow Army but it has grown into something I never thought it would.

"It emphasises what we want to represent - kindness, working together, tolerance. It is just that feeling of belonging.

"That pride that students have in their uniform. That is huge for us."

The turnaround has been done with a core of staff from the previous regime - Mr Edwards states out of 34 teachers on staff when he joined, only four have left - which has been augmented with new arrivals to cope with greater pupil numbers.

The ethos of the school also appears to have struck a tone with the teaching profession - four members of staff have come back to the school after stints away and two teachers have returned to the sector.

The headteacher added: "It is about putting students at the centre of everything we do as they are the stars of the show, but also we need to be putting the best staff in place for them."

Mr Edwards also cites the work done prior to his arrival in January of last year which laid the foundations for a 'good' Ofsted rating in June 2017.

He added: "That [the Ofsted rating] bought us time to embed what we wanted to do. That meant we didn't have to do things to tick boxes just to keep inspectors happy.

"It would have been easy to focus on short term gains but they do not make a real improvement.

"We have gone for things that are going to be incremental changes over time."

Points of pride come beyond 'just the teaching side' and to a more holistic approach of what a school should do for its pupils - the setting up of safe spaces for young carers and those who are LGBTQ, a mental health app for students, wellbeing rooms for both students and staff, a wall of achievement.

The headteacher concedes there is still progress to be made, but is looking to the long-term.

Mr Edwards said: "We didn't expect to be where we are now, We aren't there yet, but we are progressing. It takes time and I want to be here for the process.

"There is something about this school - it is the one for me."