Somervale School

Somervale exam results hit a record high for the second year running, confirming the school as one of the most improved in the country.

Last week, the A Level students at Somervale impressed with the best results ever and this week it was the turn of the school’s sixteen-year-olds to excel.

Somervale School has achieved its best results in its history in all key measures. At the 5 A*/C including English and Maths, 64% of students achieved A*/C. Both English and Maths were both well above the national average at 72% A*/C and 75% A*/C respectively. In English Literature, the pass rate was 100% A*/C. Most impressive was the progress the students have made since entering the school in Year 7, this is now a key measure of a school’s progress and is known as Progress 8. This measure came out at +0.56 which, if confirmed, would place the school in the top 10% in the country for the progress students make whilst at Somervale. Academic subjects in particular have seen some impressive outcomes, with History hitting 82% A*-C, French at 77% A*-C, and Science at 75% A*-C

Kirsty Chinnery achieved 12 A*/A grades with 6 at A*, Emma Kitsell achieved 11 A*/As with 6 at A*, Phoebe Jones achieved 7 A*/A grades with 3 at A* and Aksel Obern was the top achieving boy with 7 A grades with one at A*. Every student who wished to enter the Sixth Form got the entry grades required. In the option subjects, Music was the highest performer with 93% A*/C pass rate. In the EBAC

subjects, 32% of students achieved a C or above in all subjects which is also well above the national average.

Headteacher, Alun Williams, was particularly pleased with the rapid closing of the gaps between Pupil Premium and Special Needs students and all other students. He said: “There are not many schools in the country that can say that background and ability on entry is no impediment to the progress students can make at school.

“These results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the students and the support of their teachers and parents. The students have really done themselves proud this year and are continuing to stay on into the Midsomer Norton Sixth Form in record numbers, which shows their confidence in what the schools have to offer. I am delighted that Somervale is now firmly above the national averages in all key measures for the second year running, and has comparable results to local schools. The progress made by students is now outstanding and demonstrates that any student who attends Somervale, regardless of their background or ability, will make progress well beyond the national expectation.”

Norton Hill School

It has been another excellent and record year at Norton Hill for GCSE results.

The school saw students achieve the highest ever outcomes, with 76% of the cohort gaining five or more GCSEs at A*-C, including English and Maths (national 56%).

Even more stunning was the progress score for the school which places it in the top 7% of schools nationally. The progress 8 score was +0.96, which roughly translates as every grade being one higher than expected. Over 30% of grades were A*-A, English and Maths both saw 85% of pupils achieving A*–C – the highest ever in the school’s history and a long way above national averages.

In Science, nearly 90% of students achieved A*-C in their GCSEs, with other academic subjects like History, Geography and French also achieving record outcomes. In almost every subject, students have excelled and exceeded the national averages by a considerable margin.

Headteacher, Alun Williams, said: I thought last year’s results were incredible, but Year 11 have really pulled out all the stops to go one better this year, even though the year group has a national average ability profile. The progress achieved by these children is quite outstanding and demonstrates for everybody what can be achieved by having high expectations, high quality teaching and a focus on traditional values associated with hard work. I am immensely proud of all students and staff and know that parents play an important role in helping their children achieve such amazing results. These outcomes again demonstrate that Norton Hill continues to be the most successful school in the area.”

Some of the top performers on the day include: Emily Cohen (11A*, 1A), Emily Osborn (10A*, 1A, 1B), Isaac Hudd (10A*, 1A, 1C) Madeleine Summers (9A*, 3A), Scarlet Setmour (7A*, 4A, 1B), Reuben Leaver (7A*, 3A, 1C), Mia Harris (6A*, 6A), Emily Quinn (6A*, 5A, 1B), Toby Blewett (6A*, 4A, 2B), Stephanie Tatar (6A*, 4A, 1B, 1C), Alexander Sillwood (6A*, 3A, 2B, 1C), Ami Cook (5A*, 7A), Cerys Stephens (5A*, 7A), Daisy Thompson (5A*, 5A, 2B), Oliver Rowe (5A*, 5A, 1C), Ellie Gould (4A*, 8A), Joshua Pidduck (4A*, 7A, 1B), Chloe Cowley (4A*, 6A, 1B, 1C), Emily Merritt (4A*, 6A, 1B, 1C), Edward Belson (4A*, 5A, 1B, 2C).

Writhlington School

Writhlington’s Year 11 students were celebrating a set of very strong GCSE results last week, with an A*/C pass rate of 65% in English and Mathematics.

There is an increasing emphasis on the progress made in these key subjects at Secondary School and Writhlington students performed exceptionally well.

Results for the Government’s English Baccalaureate measure have improved again, with students performing well in the sciences, languages and humanities subjects to achieve this. Results in other subjects were equally strong, with an A*/C pass rate of over 70% in a large number of subject areas, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Further Mathematics, French, Philosophy and Belief, PE and Music. Almost 120 students achieved at least seven A*/C grades and the proportion of students with five A*–C including English, Maths and Science looking strong again.

There were very many highly impressive individual achievements. Among those students with exceptional performances were: Abigail Meadows (7A*/4A grades), Samantha Hanley (7A*/3A grades), Louis Paddon (5A*/5A grades), Tegan Rush (5A*/4A grades), Amy Luscombe (4A*/5A grades), Thomas Howard (4A*/5A grades), Luke Reddington (4A*/4A grades), Adam Benney (3A*/5A grades), Lilly-May Johnson (3A*/5A grades), Megan Bryant (2A*/7A grades), Luke Nicolson (2A*/6A grades), Oliver Crawford-Craig (1A*/7A grades).

Headteacher, Mark Everett, said: “I am really thrilled with the success of all our students. Their dedication, commitment and hard work has paid off, and they deserved to do well.

“The majority of our students are choosing to stay with us in our Sixth Form for the next part of the educational journey and I am especially pleased with our English Baccalaureate results this year. The progress made by students reflects the very hard work they, the school and their parents put into their education. What pleases me most about our results, is the fact that all of our students have obtained qualifications which help them to pursue their chosen career paths. They are a credit to themselves, the school and their families.”

Abigail Meadows, who achieved seven A*s and four A grades commented: “I am incredibly pleased with my results, after starting the year with a ruptured appendix and then an operation for Crohn’s disease, I couldn’t be more proud. If you set your heart on something, are determined and work hard, you can achieve anything.”

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