As we all know, GCSE and A Level examinations over the previous 3 academic years have been fraught with challenges for our students and teachers. Throughout this period, our students have continued to excel themselves in overcoming those challenges and reaching the extent of their academic potential.
Below are a selection of highlights from our GCSE cohort:
● 79% of all grades were A*/A;
● Students achieved on average over 1 grade above the targets predicted by external baseline tests;
● 87% of all Science grades were A*/A;
● Of that 87%, 25% were 9,9 (2x A**);
● 8 subjects had over 50% of their grades at A*/A, including Maths and English Literature.
Highlights from our AS (Year 12) Cohort include:
● 44% of grades were an A Grade (highest available grade) when external baseline tests predicted 0% of the cohort would achieve A grades;
● Students made on average over a grade of progress above their targets;
● Last time students sat exams in 2019, the average was half a grade, representing a huge improvement in student progress;
● In half of the subjects sat, half the grades were over 50% A grade.
Our A Level (Year 13) results were also impressive:
● Despite the majority of the course being delivered online, 27% of all grades were at A*/A when external baseline data predicted 2%;
● Students made on average half a grade of progress above their baseline target;
● Over 60% of Science grades and 50% of Maths grades were A*/A;
● Following results publication, students have been awarded places at top universities such as Edinburgh, SOAS, Glasgow and Manchester.
Our external assessments are IGCSEs, which students complete in Year 11 and A Levels, which students complete in Year 13. These are UK based qualifications which are internationally recognised for entrance into higher education. Students in Year 11 take on average 9 GCSEs which include English, Maths, Science and a foreign language as core subjects. In Year 13 students take 3 A Levels of which they can choose from over 20 subjects.
Measuring Success
We place great importance on personal excellence here at TBS. We expect every student to challenge themselves to meet aspirational goals and targets and to continually pursue progress towards those targets.
Each student completes baseline assessments (CATs) which indicate the academic grades students should be aiming for in each subject. However, our teachers know our students exceptionally well as a result of robust and rigorous internal assessments in each subject and so will often challenge students beyond those initial baseline assessment predictors. Aspirational target setting is key to ensuring our students exceed their baseline predictions.
We measure our success against each student’s achievement in these examinations in comparison to their baseline targets- we call this ‘Value Added (VA)’. As you can see below, our students, on average, achieve a whole grade higher in each examination than their baseline predictors, which is a huge cause for celebration.
2020 and 2021 have, of course, been unusual years, with physical examinations cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Results were assigned using teacher assessed grades, which the exam boards then moderated. Our students did exceptionally well under extraordinary and challenging circumstances to achieve their very best.
As you can see from the table below, in all examination cohorts, the vast majority of students achieved grades above their baseline targets, with over half of our students’ grades being at least one grade higher than their initial targets.
2021
2020
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