PRESS RELEASE: 23^rd August 2018

Exceptional Year 11 outcomes for Yate Academy

Yate Academy has achieved a set of outstanding GCSE results which puts them well above the national average for progress. A relentless focus on high expectations has resulted in this exceptional GCSE performance. The results are not only the best in the school’s history but will put Yate Academy amongst some of the best schools in the country. Headteacher Isabel Ambrose says “I am absolutely thrilled with these well-deserved GCSE results. The hard work from students and staff, along with the support from their families has made this momentous achievement possible”.

Yate Academy joined the Greenshaw Learning Trust in September 2017. Since then, there have been rapid improvements to all aspects of school life. This has made this significant improvement possible. The previous progress score for the school stood at -0.42 which is well below the national average of 0. Our provisional progress figure for this year is +0.67 which is well above the national average. Last year this figure would have put Yate Academy third in the country for similar schools. We look forward to confirming our position nationally in the next few months. In real terms this means that the school has improved results by one grade per student across each of their subjects. In addition the school has achieved an attainment score of 50 which equates to a ‘strong pass’ (Grade B) in every subject. Natalie Wilcox, Deputy Headteacher says “The attainment score shows that our students have risen to the challenge of the new rigorous GCSE exams and gone on to exceed all expectation.” This outstanding result is a testament to all the hard work put in by students and staff alike.

English results at Level 4 (equivalent to the old GCSE grade C) have moved from 66% to 78% in the space of a year and Grade 5s have moved from 50% to 54%. In Maths there have been similar improvements with our 4+ moving from 59% to 73% and Grade 5+ from 32% to 51%. This marks an impressive 20% increase in just a year. Overall the percentage of students achieving a Grade 4+ in both of these core subjects has risen from 50% to 67%. 

Notable achievements include Anna Piper-Thompson who received an impressive string of Grade 9s in English Literature, English Language and Geography. She also achieved Grade 8s and A*s in seven of her other subjects. Mason Wakley and Rhiannon Jones gained an incredible six and seven Grade 9s respectively which puts them into the top 2% of the country for their achievements. We are delighted by the number of students who have attained the highest result possible.  The following students have made exceptional progress as well as achieving some outstanding grades; Su Pirinc, Rachel Lomas, Michelle Allen, Oscar Jones, Lucy Phillips and Scarlett Elliott to name but a few.

Phillipa Lewis, Deputy Headteacher and Raising Standards Leader says “it has been an absolute privilege working with this group of students and I am looking forward to hearing about their future successes”. Yate Academy is immensely proud of these results and they reinforce our vision of giving every student a better chance of success.