Tech-savvy sixth form pupils keep on progressing

Measured against value added for pupils – which looks at how much students progress during their A-levels and IB Diplomas – saw the school score 0.35, which places them at the same level as the top 5% of sixth forms in England.

Deputy head teacher and sixth form centre director Kieran James said the latest results were the third year of year-on-year improvement.

‘It’s a core part of what we have been focusing on,’ he said. ‘So whatever they come in with, we want to maximise their outcomes.’

Mr James visited several high-scoring schools in the UK to come up with ideas to help the centre and has been implementing them locally.

Pupils said they could see the benefits of the ideas.

‘The teachers are really motivated and we get a lot of support,’ said 17-year-old Ewan Frolich, who is studying for his IB.

‘The size of the school also helps. In the UK they are often a lot bigger, but here this is quite a personal experience.’

Niamh Duquemin, 17, said she was not surprised by the school’s success because it tried to support all pupils’ needs.

‘If people want to work in silence, they can, and there are also places people can speak and study,’ she said.

‘We finish early before exams and teachers help organise revision and that really helps.’

The school has encouraged sixth form students to bring in technology besides their phones, such as tablets and iPads.

Ed Garrod, 17, said regularly using technology was helping him prepare for university.

‘It is much easier to use our own equipment rather than having to share the school kit,’ he said.

‘We use Google Drive and it helps organise our work.’

Education, Sport & Culture president Matt Fallaize said the good score showed how much hard work students and teachers at the Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre have put into the school.

‘I would like to commend them on their achievement,’ he said. ‘This success relates to students’ progress rather than their raw attainment and it is equally important to emphasise those two different measurements of performance.

‘This is an opportunity to reflect on the benefits of providing sixth-form studies as part of an 11-18 school. In the future, as a result of recent decisions made by the States, all secondary school students in the mainstream sector will be educated in 11-18 schools and we are confident that this will be to the benefit of most students.’