The headteacher of Stratton Upper School says that his students’ GCSE results show that they are raising the bar in terms of achievement.
Zoe Fung led the field with eight A*s, an A and a B, but other high achievers who also gained a minimum of nine A* and A grades included Harry Dilley, Sam Hogben, Chloe Martin, Lucy Masdin, Sam Newman and Alice Smyth.
Rob Watson, who is head of the Biggleswade school, said: “GCSE qualifications are in a period of transition. The government is on a mission to greatly raise the bar, and these results show students and staff embracing the challenge.”
Head of year Alun Evans said: “Later this year the government will publish a new measure showing how well students performed across 8 academic subjects.
“We believe this is a fair way of judging schools allowing parents to see what schools have achieved with individual cohorts.
“We are confident that our 55 per cent A* to C with English and maths will translate well into the new measure, known as progress 8, to confirm Stratton students performed between 15 and 25 per cent better than similar students nationally.
“We are proud to be a fully comprehensive school. It is important that students from all abilities do well, as is the case this year.”
Deputy headteacher Jane Harper said: “These outcomes are a testament of our curriculum strategy.
“We make sure every student is stretched to achieve in between eight and 10 high quality GCSEs which students are guided to choose during their first year with us in Year 9.
“This means they have the opportunity to experience how subjects are taught at Stratton and are encouraged to make choices in the context of good careers advice.
“There are no gimmicks and no nonsense, just hard work and good teaching. This inspires commitment and dedication. When you combine this with an amazing body of staff it’s not hard to see where the success comes from.”
Deputy headteacher Roz Hodges said: “Elizabeth Marincean deserves special mention. She achieved an A*, five As, three Bs and a D. A remarkable outcome for a 16-year-old who moved to Britain just over a year ago speaking very little English.”
Madeline Russell, who is chairman of Stratton Trustees, said: “We’re looking forward to an amazing year ahead.
“Our A-level achievement, AS grades and GCSE outcomes represent the strongest set of results ever so we can face the challenges of the new qualifications with confidence.
“On top of that, we will shortly be opening our new 13 laboratory science block, representing an £8 million investment on behalf of the Local Authority in the future of high quality education at Stratton.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here