Dundee students were given extra tutoring and support during the pandemic, thanks to funding from the Rotary Club of Dundee.
The £20,000 in funding was split between four schools: Braeview, Baldragon and St Paul’s Academies and Craigie High School.
More than 130 students benefited from additional equipment and support with distance learning.
And 90% of the 134 pupils who took part in the Leading Learners’ project either achieved expected or higher than expected grades in this year’s exams.
The funding was given by the club as part of their centenary celebrations.
Tim Beattie, principal teacher of attainment at Harris Academy, said the project had been a notable success in getting the pupils “back on track”.
He added: “Of all the pupils in the scheme, over 90% secured or increased their grades because of this great partnership between our schools and the Rotary Club.
“That is a fantastic outcome.
“Their generosity allowed pupils who faced many barriers to their learning and whose education had been impacted by the lockdowns to gain valuable skills and opportunities to improve their performance through and beyond their school years.”
Running for a second year
The project was so successful, the Rotary Club has committed a further £20,000 to run the project for a second year.
Teresa Little, head teacher at St Paul’s Academy, added: “The extra tutoring and coaching was aimed at making sure the young people had what they needed to learn.
“These pupils had many challenges in balancing school work during lockdowns with their home life.
“For some pupils home life can be chaotic at times so it was important to give the pupils resources and a place to learn.
“Thanks to the scheme we were able to get these pupils back on track to achieve results they were previously destined for, but were at risk of not achieving.”
President of the Rotary Club, Andrew Argo said: “It is fantastic that one of the key projects of our centenary year has been such a success.
“There can surely be no better contribution a Rotary Club can make to its community than to help its young people find a route to a better future.
“By providing this much-needed support, pupils at risk of falling behind with their studies in the midst of the pandemic have been able to get back on track to secure and even exceed the academic success previously predicted for them.
“This is bound to open doors even wider to further academic and employment opportunities and hopefully success.”