The academic performance of south Essex schools in this year’s GCSE exams have been revealed in the annual secondary school performance tables released by the Department of Education.
Out of the 61 secondary schools in south Essex with published data, 35 schools saw more than 50 per cent of pupils achieving a standard grade 4-9 pass in English and maths.
The highly selective Southend-based grammar schools took the top four places, but the Echo reports that “Thorpe Hall School breaks into the top five with 87.9 per cent”, placing it at the top of the leaderboard for non-selective schools.
Headteacher, Mr Stephen Duckitt, says,
“The school is incredibly proud. Being non-selective and fully inclusive, this places Thorpe Hall at the top of the list for non-selective schools in south Essex. This is a direct result of the hard work of our students and staff, in overhauling the school’s academic approach.”
He states further that the ‘Raising Standards’ agenda and ‘Expect More’ initiatives he has introduced since joining the school in 2021 are now reaping their rewards, and this ranking shows the ultimate benefits to attainment for all pupils across the board. Furthermore, Mr Duckitt is confident to predict that results will continue to significantly increase in future years, and in particular when the school’s first grammar cohort (part of the Grammar Plus scheme launched in 2022) take their GCSEs in 2027.
Mirroring the improvements in the Senior school, increasing success is also evident in the Prep School, and clearly demonstrated in Thorpe Hall’s most recent 11+ results. The pass score of its 11+ pupils averaged over 330 again this year, which far surpasses the minimum entry score required for the Southend High and Westcliff High grammar schools.
This outcome follows the launch of the unique and innovative education Thorpe Hall School now offers in its upper Prep years. This includes an elevated ‘senior school style’ provision and 100% specialist teaching model in Years 5 and 6, an academic fast-track stream – ‘Prep Plus’ – from Year 4, and free additional tutoring and coaching for all 11+ candidates offered as standard in years 4 and 5.
Mr Duckitt says that “these initiatives are preparing our Prep School pupils for Senior School success in this highly competitive area, whether that’s in Thorpe Hall’s own ‘Grammar Plus’ stream, or at another setting“.
Onwards and upwards Thorpe Hall School!