Students and staff are celebrating some significant gains on last year’s GCSE results with many subjects and areas reporting an improvement to their rates of progress and attainment. The number of students achieving 5 Grades 9-4 including English and Mathematics, has risen to 60.4% which is amongst the highest rates the College has ever achieved, with students achieving both English and Mathematics at Grade 4 or above, rising to 66% despite the new more rigorous and difficult GCSE examinations.

Overall progress has improved considerably for students in English, Mathematics and, in particular Science, where the department posted great results for both separate Sciences and the Double Award Science course. These efforts resulted in a 5% increase to our overall English and Mathematics strong (Grade 5+) GCSE pass rate which we expect to be above, both the Local Authority and National figure.

This success follows on from a really strong set of A Levels results that were posted by the College.

We are also pleased that subjects within the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects, which includes amongst others:  Computer Science, Geography, Modern Languages and History - all made significantly more progress than last year.

Given the increased difficulty of the new GCSE examinations, we have been particularly pleased with the progress of our higher ability students, where approximately 20% of students in Mathematics and English  achieved  a  Grade 7 or higher.    Equally in Chemistry, Computer Science and RE, approximately 5% of the cohort achieved a Grade 9 rising to almost 20% of the Physics cohort achieving a Grade 9 which is exceptional!  Many students achieved the new highest grades of 7, 8 and 9, however, four students achieved only these grades, amazingly collecting thirteen Grade 9s between them, which is a truly amazing effort given the level of challenge in the new GCSE courses.

Really pleasingly, the progress of students with low, middle and higher prior attainment all increased significantly from last year, with the biggest improvement being seen in our students who had the lowest attainment on entry which is a fantastic achievement for them.

As ever, within our very broad curriculum offer across Humanities, Expressive Arts, PE, Dance, Child Development, Media Studies, Technology, Business Studies and RE, we saw stunning achievements at departmental level from 34% of students in RE achieving a Grade 7 or more, to 77% of students in Dance achieving a Grade 5 or more.

The students have worked hard to achieve results like these.  Students this year have had the challenge of new style more demanding GCSE exam papers across a wider range of subjects with the exam element of the qualification increasing considerably.

As a Community College, we are always focused on celebrating the success of all students whatever their ability levels and we know that for some students in this year group, just sitting the exams was a major achievement of which they should be very proud!

Henrietta Miles, Assistant Principal KS4 commented:

“This group of young people have been incredibly focused on achieving well.  They have worked very hard and supported each other in their studies.  Their results reflect the hard work they put in, both in lessons and in their independent study time.  I am sure they will be very grateful to their teachers who have helped them to achieve what they need and more, for their future courses.  As well as their hard work, they were also a group of young people who showed great maturity in the respectful way they treated all those they came into contact with.  They deserve very successful and fulfilled futures”.

Andy Bown, Head of Year 11 commented:

"They have been a delightful year group to work with over the last two years.  Their excellent work ethic and dedicated approach to their studies have resulted in a really positive set of GCSE results for them. I would like to thank the staff for all their hard work and commitment.  The vast majority of students will now pursue their first choice course at Post 16 level with many joining our Post-16.  I hope they enjoy their celebrations and I wish them every happiness and success for the future."

Andrew Davis, Principal commented:

“I am extremely proud of these results which reflect both the amazing hard work of the students and the dedication, skill and commitment of both teaching and support staff at the College. The results represent a major step forward from last year, in many areas, mainly due to the determination of our Year 11 students who were an absolute credit to their school, community and staff at the College who, across the board, have worked tirelessly to get the very best results for each individual student.

Alongside the outstanding Post 16 results that were achieved, our GCSE results show again, that as a school we have very talented students who are challenged, motivated and inspired by great teaching to get fantastic results and unlock their potential.

May I take this opportunity, to thank the students for all their hard work and also parents/family members, for all the support you have given to your child, staff and the school, during their education with us - although we know many students will be returning to join our Post-16.  I wish you all the very best for the future."

Margaret Turgoose, Chair of Governors commented:

“We are very pleased with this year’s results which have improved since last year and, in many areas, by a significant amount. The students have worked very hard and deserved to do well and, as always, our staff, both teachers and those who support learning, have all done a huge amount to support them."