ACADEMY OUTSHONE BY 'FAILING' SCHOOL
THORNE'S fledgling academy has seen a drop in its GCSE pass rate compared to the 'failing' school it replaced. Trinity Academy saw just over 34 per cent of its students gaining at least five C grades. When Thorne Grammar School closed last August its headline pass rate was just over 35 per cent.
But the news has been met with optimism by the Academy, which insists the results, in the new school's first year, actually represented a success as the students involved had not been predicted to do as well as they had. Principal Ian Brew said: "It was estimated that 32 per cent of our pupils should get five A-C grades, so I am delighted they have done better. This year group was not as strong as the previous year and to be so close to equalling what was for Thorne Grammar the best year they had had for 10 to 15 years was outstanding."
Campaign But Tracy Morton, who led a campaign to stop Northcliffe School in Conisbrough being replaced by and academy, said: "You just can't walk in overnight and change things.
"There is the suggestion that teachers in the existing schools aren't trying hard enough. It's not that. It's about complex serious problems that lead to low GCSE results. You can spend £25 million on a new building but you could spend it on teachers instead."
However, there was better news for the school, as the results saw 28 students achieving ten or more A* to C grade passes - a record for the town. And 30 students have scored AA grades in the first half of their science GCSEs.
Thomas Pickersgill, 16, was on top of the pile with 12 A* to C passes, joined by Tanya Cairns, Jodie Pugh, James Scott, Joshua Taylor and Katherine Tomlinson, who each have 11.5 A* to C passes.
Mr Brew added: "This first year had provided a foundation and was a good solid start. We have always said that it is not possible to turn around achievement overnight. It takes a lot of effort to raise standards and aspirations. We have laid firm foundations this year and I and my team are looking forward to building on that in the future."
COMMENT
Of course there are strong year groups & weak ones, & that has always been the case. However no one gave a damn about that two years ago, when the a lynch mob comprising of the Vardy Foundation, the Government & local council rode into town shooting from the hip. They wanted blood & did everything possible to denigrate the existing school & management.
Their main tactic was to focus on what they said were low exam results. Hardly an article was ever written on the subject that did not play on the Vardy Foundation's high exam results at Emmanuel College in Gateshead, although it was obvious that it was absurd to compare the two schools.
They brought this vicious style of divisive conflict into our educational system (which is just the tip of the iceberg of their fundamentalist distain for modern society) so why should they now be let off the hook. They said they would deliver & they haven’t. If they can’t put up – then they should shut up rather than going around shouting their fundamentalist mouths off about their alleged superiority.