Lewisham’s students are celebrating after achieving the borough’s best ever GCSE results.
Provisional figures show 60 per cent of students achieved 5+ A*-C grades - a jump of 5.1 per cent from last year. This means Lewisham has exceeded its target of 56 per cent, set by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
The figures for students achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and maths have also significantly improved, rising by 5.6 per cent to 46 per cent.
Over the last five years Lewisham’s pass rate for 5+ A*-C grades has leapt by a massive 20 per cent. That equates to 500 more pupils gaining these key qualifications.
Councillor Robert Massey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, joined students at Forest Hill and Sedgehill schools as they celebrated their results.
Councillor Massey said: “This is a great day for Lewisham pupils and schools. My congratulations go to all these young people and to the teachers and headteachers who have worked so hard to ensure they achieve their best.
“Results in our schools have been completely transformed. This is a direct result of our relentless focus on raising standards in all our schools. To achieve such great results during our ambitious school rebuilding programme is clear evidence of the sheer determination of our pupils and staff to perform well.
“We will continue to do whatever it takes to raise standards. We will be innovative, we will make sure our schools are working together effectively and we will embrace new models of teaching and learning to give Lewisham’s young people the very best start in life.“
Most of Lewisham’s schools have seen significant rises in their 5+ A*-C grades. The biggest rise was at Addey & Stanhope school in New Cross which saw its results jump by a massive 21.5 per cent to 65.4 per cent.
Headteacher, Ann Potter, said: “I am absolutely delighted with this year’s outstanding exam results which are the best the school has ever achieved. It reflects the ambition and determination of our students and the true professionalism of the staff.”
Sedgehill school also saw a vast improvement – rising 7.8 per cent to 62 per cent. Karen Bastick-Styles, Headteacher, said the results were fantastic. She added: “Students were nervous as they came to collect their results but once they saw them they were absolutely delighted. Our results are the highest the school has ever achieved and pupils across the board have improved significantly. This is a great day for Sedgehill.”
Many Lewisham students have performed outstandingly. They include Firanol Girma, a student at Prendergast-Ladywell Fields College. He was among the top ten performers in the country. Out of 36,208 candidates who sat the Citizenship Studies exam earlier this summer, Firanol achieved one of the highest overall marks.
Another pupil, Thinh Nguyen, who attends Sedgehill, was thrilled with his results. He said: “When I came to this country from China ten years ago, I couldn’t speak or write any English. Now I’ve just got 2A*s, 5As and 2Bs. It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy.”
Percentage of students achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C:
| |
2007
|
*2008
|
|
Lewisham average
|
54.9 |
60.0 |
| Addey & Stanhope |
43.9 |
65.4 |
| Bonus Pastor |
66.7 |
71.0 |
| Catford High |
36.2 |
44.8 |
| Deptford Green |
67.5 |
66.0 |
| Forest Hill |
52.4 |
56.7 |
| HAHC |
92.6 |
95.1 |
| HAKA |
42.4 |
52.2 |
| St Matthew Academy (opened in 2007) |
|
34.9 |
| Northbrook |
51.5 |
39.5 |
| Prendergast-Hilly Fields College |
77.2 |
74.8 |
| Prendergast-Ladywell Fields College |
49.2 |
48.1 |
| Sedgehill |
54.2 |
62.0 |
| Sydenham |
52.7 |
61.1 |
* All 2008 figures provisional
Percentage of students achieving five or more GCSEs, including English and maths, at grades A*-C:
| |
2007
|
*2008
|
|
Lewisham average
|
40.4 |
46.0 |
| Addey & Stanhope |
36.7 |
58.9 |
| Bonus Pastor |
47.3 |
51.7 |
| Catford High |
19.0 |
32.0 |
| Deptford Green |
52.1 |
45.3 |
| Forest Hill |
42.9 |
54.3 |
| HAHC |
89.2 |
93.7 |
| HAKA |
19.7 |
18.6 |
| St Matthew Academy (opened in 2007) |
|
22.6 |
| Northbrook |
43.3 |
26.7 |
| Prendergast-Hilly Fields College |
68.4 |
64.9 |
| Prendergast-Ladywell Fields College |
26.7 |
31.9 |
| Sedgehill |
28.7 |
41.6 |
| Sydenham |
41.0 |
46.2 |
* All 2008 figures provisional