A headteacher has called on authorities to rethink plans to close her school after it topped a new table of secondaries on Canvey.

Students at Furtherwick Park School have outstripped expectations, based on exams taken when they left junior school, compared with their GCSE results.

Despite its planned closure in 2011, the school has outperformed Castle View and Cornelius Vermuyden, which would both remain open under a planned shake-up of secondary education on the island planned by Essex County Council.

Wendy Missons, headteacher of Furtherwick Park, said: "Our school is achieving to an exceptionally high standard and it just keeps getting better.

"With the current proposals for restructuring schools on Canvey, I urge the decision makers to bear this in mind.

"There are staff and students here who deserve a bright and successful future, and if they are lost to Canvey, then it's forever."

As per the new Government figures, a score higher than 1,000 means students have overachieved, while a score lower than 1,000 means they have underachieved based on their predicted results.

Furtherwick Park School achieved a score of 1009.2, Cornelius Vermuyden scored 1001.2 and Castle View scored 988.5.

Under new plans for the future of secondary schools on the island, two options have been proposed, with the Furtherwick Park site either making way for a vocational college, or a revamped Castle View school.

However, parents at Furtherwick Park have launched a campaign to save the school and have put forward a third option to Essex County Council, which involves replacing Castle View with a vocational centre and retaining their school.

Jan Payne, whose son Daniel is in Year 7 at Furtherwick Park, said: "We had 147 supporters for our option which was by far and away the greatest number, so we were over the moon.

"It is a great school and I hope they will consider our option and listen to us, especially now these results have been published."

Essex County Council has blamed falling birthrates on the need to close a school on Canvey and says the decision to close Furtherwick Park was a practical one, because it has the highest number of surplus places.

Stephen Castle, cabinet member for education, said: "We have always said we want the entire community to have their say.

"What has now become known as option three will be considered by cabinet on January 23, when a report is presented to it on the consultation."