We are delighted that our boys have achieved a 100% GCSE pass rate with a third of them awarded top A* and A grades. These results complement the School achieving its best ever A level results in the previous week.
What is particularly pleasing this year is the value we have added. Before they start on their GCSE courses, all of our boys undergo rigorous external assessment in Years 7 and 9. These tests give a valuable indication of boys’ most likely grades. This data then allows us to monitor carefully boys’ progress to ensure that wherever possible, they exceed that potential and which the vast majority did again this year.
This is as every bit an important story as those you will read about the performance of some super-selective independent schools.
One of our boys achieved 19 grades above the predictions across all of his subjects. A number of others achieved similar double figure scores. That doesn’t happen without hard work and excellent teaching. Several of our subjects have added more than a grade over and above boys’ predictions.
This year’s results are particularly pleasing given that the goalposts have moved significantly in the time since pupils started their GCSE courses two years ago. Of course, it is important to raise standards but this shouldn’t be done in a way that is unfair to students.
In addition to the removal of modules and re-sit opportunities, this year’s cohort have found that the standards being demanded when they started their GCSE courses in 2012 have changed and components in some subjects have been removed mid-course. This is confusing for pupils and makes them uncertain as to what is required. It also makes their teachers’ jobs more difficult.
This year’s students deserve additional credit for overcoming not just the challenges of GCSEs but everything else that has been thrown at them along the way.