Hammersmith and Fulham students ace GCSEs

In news that will be reassuring to the borough’s parents, students across Hammersmith and Fulham’s secondary schools have achieved the third highest crop of GCSEs in inner London, it has been announced by the Department of Education.

The official figures show that 66 per cent of candidates reached the government benchmark of five GCSEs at A*-C grade (including Maths and English). This is significantly higher than both the national average of 53 per cent, and the London average of 63 per cent.

Among inner London boroughs, it was only beaten by neighbours Kensington and Chelsea (74 per cent) and Westminster (68 per cent). Nationally, the schools of Hammersmith and Fulham are ranked 14th for GCSE results.

One school in particular was singled out for praise: Phoenix High School in Shepherd’s Bush. It saw the best year-on-year improvements in its results in the borough, with a ten per cent rise in the pass rate. Headteacher Alan Streeter attributed the school’s success to consistent hard work and support from pupils, teachers and parents. He said he was proud of his students for achieving “the best possible outcomes”.

Also recognised are Burlington Danes Academy in White City, where the pass rate has risen by two per cent this year, and Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith, who achieved an exceptionally high rate of 92 per cent of students getting a C or above in at five GCSEs.

Naturally, Sue Macmillan, Hammersmith and Fulham Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Education, was pleased with the news. She said: “These results cement the borough's schools among the top performers in London and rank us fourteenth nationally. It makes me immensely proud of the great work being performed across all of our schools by dedicated teachers and diligent students.”
The headline-grabbing results are all the more notable given the major changes to both curriculum and performance measures during the 2013/14 academic year, which normally requires a period of adjustment in terms of exam performance as teachers adapt.

Published 3rd February, 2015

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