Shepherd's Bush Students Celebrate Improved GCSE Results

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Despite tougher exams and stricter grade boundaries

Teachers and pupils celebrate at Burlington Danes Academy

Pupils in schools across Hammersmith and Fulham have achieved improved GCSE results, despite the exams being tougher and the grade boundaries stricter than last year.

After the biggest shake-up in marking for a generation, all GCSE subjects are now graded by numbers, with 9 being the highest.

At Burlington Danes Academy, Principal Paul Bhatia was overjoyed about this year's results, with a 10% increase on last year’s grades giving the Wood Lane school the second highest increase of 34 academies in the Ark network and one of the largest increases in London.

He said: " I'm delighted with the excellent results our pupils and teachers have achieved. Our GCSE results have increased by over 10% and almost every subject has improved significantly on last year, which is down to the hard work of our students and staff and is testament to the ambition of this school.

"Most importantly, I'm so pleased to see our students achieve the grades they need to access their A-levels and professional pathways at KS5. With over 50% of our KS5 students gaining a top third university place and one in three achieving a Russell University place, BDA empowers our students with tools they need to secure the careers of their choice."

15 students at Burlington Danes achieved 7 or more GCSE 7-9 grades, including these star performers:

Anass Kireche achieved 3- 9’s, 3- 8’s, 1- 7 and 3- 6’s.
Sophie Crowder achieved 3- 9’s, 4- 8’s, 2-7’s and 1- 6.
Sara Abuzaid achieved 2- 9’s, 4- 8’s and 4- 7’s.
Abdulrahman Gallul achieved 3- 9’s, 3- 8’s, 2- 7’s and 2- 6’s.
Fatima Adwalla achieved 1- 9, 5- 8’s and 1-7.
Rumaysah Khan achieved 1- 9, 1- 8, 4- 7’s and 3- 6’s.
Elliot Higgins achieved 6- 8’s and 4- 7’s.

Mr Bhatia added that the school is also delighted with some outstanding BTEC results this year for Year 11.

At Hammersmith Academy in Cathnor Road, headteacher Gary Kynaston, pictured above with happy students, said this year’s GCSEs continued the annual progress made by the academy since its first set of results four years ago.

"Not only are our students able to succeed above the national average, they do so alongside the rigorous English Baccalaureate system," he said.

"This upholds the belief in our ethos that any student who enters through the gate can succeed, regardless of ability, if they apply themselves and embrace our professional standards."

In all, 74% of students achieved 9 to 4 grades at GCSE. Among the top performers were Artora Mehmetaj, who led the pack with six grade 9s and 5 grade 8s, Johnny Tang who achieved four grade 9s, two 8s, a 7 and a 6, Nandana Nisha Ajith, who gained three 9s, two 8s and three 7s and Shahad Arzouni who scored five grade 9s, a grade 8, and 2 grade 7s.

Phoenix Academy in White City also saw another improvement in GCSE results, which were welcomed by principal Thomas Phillips.

"We are delighted that outcomes have improved again with 62% of our cohort achieving at least a grade 4 in both English and maths – up from 53% in 2018, and 39% in 2017," he said.

Left to right: Ananta, Sucaad and Abdullah

Among the outstanding achievers, Ananta Mia gained six grade 9s in maths, the sciences, French, geography and Italian. Her classmate Sucaad Hassan gained grade 9 in biology, chemistry and physics, with all his grades being 7 or above, while Mohammed Slimani also gained grade 7 or more across all his subjects.

Abdullah Khan achieved 9 in biology, physics and maths; Iman Ahmed achieved a 9 in history; while Zohreh Andohkosh and Mohamed Ali gained results that were, on average, two grades above their target and Tamal Jurgiewicz, an RAF air cadet, achieved grades 9 to 4 across all his subjects.

"I’d like to congratulate all students at Phoenix Academy," said Thomas. "The school is on a rapid improvement journey, having been recently graded ‘good’ by Ofsted, and we’re excited to see this continue."

There was also good news at schools supporting young people who are not in mainstream education. Westside School in Hammersmith's Galena Road, which provides young people with a personalised curriculum, had its best ever GCSE results, with 93% of students achieving GCSE grades in both maths and English, with a grade 8 achieved in maths; a grade 7 in English Literature; two grades 6 achieved in English Language Grades 7 and 6 in Citizenship.

Headteacher Carol-Anne Alcock said: "I am immensely proud to be the headteacher of Westside School and look forward to building on the school’s examination successes in the future.

"I would like to thank staff who gave their time so willingly to support our students, many of whom, for a myriad of reasons, had huge gaps in their learning."

At The Bridge and Latimer AP academies 81% of learners gained accreditation at GCSEs (9 to 1) or their equivalent – and, most notably, five learners achieved grade 4 or above in English Language and Religious Education.

The Bridge in Finlay Street, Fulham, and Latimer in Freston Road, Notting Hill, are both schools which provide education and intervention through Alternative Provision - supporting learners who are experiencing difficulty with or have been excluded from mainstream education. They are both part of the TBAP Multi-Academy Trust which support vulnerable and challenging young people.

Krishna Purbhoo, executive headteacher, TBAP West, said: "The TBAP West region continues to achieve successful outcomes for our learners. This is a well-earned reward for their hard work, dedication, support and commitment to learning."

These impressive performances were hailed by Cllr Larry Culhane, H&F Cabinet Member for Children & Education as a "really significant" rise in 'progress' – a performance measure that charts children’s progress from the end of primary school (key stage 2) to the end of secondary school (key stage 4) when pupils take GCSEs in Year 11.

"This demonstrates that our secondary schools are adding value to students’ starting points," he said. "But we shouldn’t overlook the other ways our schools are adding to students’ lives too: the guidance, support and opportunities they provide are all crucial and we thank our teachers and school staff for the dedication they bring every day."

Cllr Culhane also sent a message of support to local students who may have been disappointed with some of their results, asking them to look to the borough's sixth formers and apprentices, who re-took some of their GCSEs this year and achieved the results they wanted second time round, for inspiration.

Options for students include taking English and maths exam resits at William Morris Sixth Form or Hammersmith & Fulham College as well as further vocational and apprenticeship opportunities

August 28, 2019