Academy sponsor celebrates record exam results

by Alan Brooks  on August 29, 2013  in  Sponsor

KAA lead sponsor the Aldridge Foundation is celebrating record GCSE results at each of its four academy schools this year.

At Darwen in Lancashire the percentage of Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA) students gaining the government’s ‘gold standard’ of five or more GCSE grades at A*-C including maths and English has risen to 64%, the best ever achieved at the academy. Having opened in 2008, these students were the first cohort to spend all five years of their secondary education at the school and their results highlight the great progress the academy has made, since replacing a predecessor school (whose last equivalent GCSE result was 31%). All Aldridge Academies are non-selective and DACA has achieved these results with record of zero permanent exclusions since opening.

For DACA the news came on the back of achieving an overall A Level pass rate of 100%, with 26% being A* or A grades. 71% of sixth form leavers are commencing university, of which more than half are the first in their family to enter higher education.

Another first for the academy this year has come with progress of one of its students to the University of Oxford.

At the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy in Dorset GCSE results (56% A*-C EM) was the best ever on the island. Having opened in predecessor schools’ premises last September the growth from the 40% they had returned last year marked an exceptional achievement by students and staff alike.

In Brighton at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy the 5% point rise to 46% A*-C including maths and English means that the numbers of students achieving that benchmark has doubled in the 3 years since the academy replaced its predecessor school. In English students achieved 74% A* – C grades with over 80% of making three or more levels of progress, which is likely to be well above the national average.

And across the city at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy ITV cameras were at the academy celebrated an incredible 21% point rise in one year to 60% of students achieving A*-C including maths and English. Amongst the many individual highlights five students achieving 9 or more passes at A* and A grades each and two students achieved 12 passes each at A* – C grade.

All four academies smashed the national average pass rate for English and three also performed better in Maths then the national average.

Sir Rod Aldridge said: “To experience the sheer pride and joy that our students, teachers and parents alike felt with the record results we achieved across all our academies was wonderful to see. It is proof that given the opportunity to have the best facilities and teaching along with hard work anything is possible in a young person’s life. At the Foundation this gives us the encouragement to redouble our efforts and to continue the journey that we started 7 years ago last month.”

Chief Executive Honor Wilson-Fletcher added: “We believe that great, inclusive education is at the heart of any strong community. We remain as determined as ever in our future plans to keep pushing the boundaries to ensure that young people, whatever their background, and wherever they live, have the chance to excel and the appetite to want to do the best they possibly can.”

“These results are a fantastic demonstration of what young people can achieve given the support of the passionate and dedicated staff, entrepreneurial school leaders and governors at our academies.”