Following individual GCSE results from Ryde Academy, Christ the King College and Ryde School, this in from the Isle of Wight council. In their own words. Ed
GCSE results for the Isle of Wight have been released today (23 August).
Christ the King College, the only school on the Island which has so far had pupils for the full secondary range (11 to 16 year olds), has seen 77.1 percent of students achieve five or more A* – C grades including English and Maths, which is a record for the Isle of Wight and also places the college well above last year’s national average.
Ryde Academy also produced impressive results, rising almost nine percentage points compared to last year with 50.6 percent of students achieving five or more A* – C grades inc English and Maths. Cowes Enterprise College saw a slight rise, improving from 48 percent last year to 49.2 per cent in 2012.
Drop for three high schools
However, Carisbrooke College, Medina College and Sandown Bay Academy all returned lower results compared to 2011 which has impacted on the Isle of Wight’s overall percentage.
Sandown dropped ten percentage points, slipping from 50 percent in 2011 to 40 percent this year for students achieving five or more A* – C grades including English and Maths.
Carisbrooke dropped almost sixteen percentage points, from 51 percent last year to 35.1 percent this year in the five or more A* – C grades including English and Maths indicator.
Medina dropped the most, from 52 percent to 32.5 percent this year. Overall, the Isle of Wight has seen a drop, from 49.5 percent in 2011 to 44.2 percent in 2012.
Christ the King College sets the bar
Janet Newton, Isle of Wight Council deputy director for schools and education said: “Firstly we should say how pleased we are for the staff and students at Christ the King College who have achieved the highest ever GCSE results on the Island and they deserve our praise and congratulations.
“This sets a high bar for all the other secondary providers for when they too have had the students for the full five years of secondary education. They have set the example for other providers to follow.
“Following on from a ‘good’ judgement in terms of Ofsted inspection, with the potential to be outstanding, we are working with the College and the two dioceses to ensure that all planning requirements for their sixth form are met. This will mean that, subject to planning approval, work on the additional building space for the sixth form can be undertaken as soon as practicable.
“We are delighted with the significant rise at Ryde Academy, bringing its results closer to the national average. Cowes Enterprise College also improved upon last year’s results, giving it a good platform for its forthcoming move into the new building.”
Simply not good enough
She went on to say, “However, the results at Carisbrooke, Medina and Sandown are simply not good enough and are the sole reason why the Isle of Wight has seen a reduction in the numbers of students achieving five or more A* to C grades. There will be some very tough questions for these schools and we will want answers as to why their performances have been so bad.”
Dawn Cousins, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for education and children’s services said: “It is a very nervous time opening your exam results and I hope individual students got the grades they wanted.
“Unfortunately, the good work of Cowes and Ryde, and in particular Christ the King, has been affected by the results provided by Sandown, Medina and Carisbrooke.
“For Carisbrooke to drop almost 16 percentage points, Medina nearly 20 percentage points and Sandown ten percentage points in a year is wholly unacceptable and we will be seeking urgent meetings with the providers as a matter of priority.
“There is no good reason why what the three successful schools have achieved should not be emulated by the others. Cowes, Ryde and Christ the King have risen to the challenge offered by the new two-tier system and the others now need to do the same.
“On a positive note we should mention Christ the King’s results in particular. The students sitting the exams have had five years of education without interruption, i.e. they stayed in the same school continuously from the age of 11.
“This is the model which the Isle of Wight has now adopted and in a few years all students at every secondary provider will have not had any interruption across this key age range. Christ the King has led the way, and now it’s up to the other secondary providers to follow and produce impressive GCSE results.”
Support for young people
If you received your GCSE exam results today and want some advice, the Isle of Wight Council’s participation team offers independent and impartial support to all young people during the exam results period.
The team can be found at 29 High Street, Newport, P030 1SS and can be contacted on (01983) 525927.
The team operate a ‘drop-in’ service where no appointment is necessary. The opening times are Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 12.30pm then 1pm to 4pm and Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm then 1pm to 4pm.
A qualified participation adviser will meet with you in a safe and confidential environment and help you to explore the full range of options that are open to you including further and higher education, as well as training and employment opportunities.
If you are not returning to full-time education or training, a dedicated adviser can work with you and can then be contacted directly either by phone, email or by visiting the centre. The service can also make referrals to a wide range of training providers, employers and other agencies.
