Varndean students celebrate a fantastic set of exam results.
Despite the gloomy weather Varndean School was full of joy this morning as the class of 23 came in to collect their GCSE results.
Following the numerous negative press stories of how grades would be lower this year many students were nervous this morning about what would be in their envelope. Happily nerves were soon replaced by smiles, laughter and often tears of joy, As one student succinctly put it “well that is pretty good then, everything I need for college and more”.
Overall, grades at the school were excellent. Of particular note is the huge number of grade 8s and 9s awarded to students - well over 500 and the fact that nearly 200 students were awarded grade 5 or better in both English and Mathematics which is incredible.
Headteacher Shelley Baker commented:
these are tremendous results and all of the staff of the school are thrilled that the commitment and hard work of this group of year 11 students has paid off. This is a day for them to celebrate and enjoy and it is very gratifying to know that they are now very well set up for the next stage of their lives. They are a great group of young people who will go on to even more success but will do so while also being kind and thoughtful too.
Great results like these don’t happen by chance. The dedication, professionalism and skill of the staff at the school has been complemented by the patience, encouragement and support of Varndean families and these achievements are a reflection of the genuine partnership we have with the wonderful Varndean community. We would like to thank all the Varndean families who have worked with us so effectively to nurture the talents of the class of 2023.
Well done Varndean students, enjoy the moment and we look forward to hearing about your future success.
Varndean students are celebrating a fantastic set of exam results. The school was full of smiles, laughter and tears of joy as students opened the envelopes to see all that they had achieved. Early signs are that these results will set records and be the school’s best ever.
Headteacher, Shelley Baker, said
What is really pleasing is that all that hard work has paid off. This is an incredible group of young people who have approached the return to school after the pandemic with a superb attitude and worked as hard as they could not only individually, but collectively. This is the story behind these great results. I am proud of each and every one of them and know that they will go on to the next stage in their lives with confidence.
Some of the highlights include:
| % achieving grade 4+ in Eng and Maths | 86% |
| % achieving grade 5+ in English and Maths | 71% |
| % of grades awarded grade 7 or higher | 39% |
| Attainment 8 |
57.56 (this indicates the average grade for all subjects is 5.8) |
| No. of students achieving grade 5 or higher in Maths | 78% |
| No. of students achieving grade 4 or higher in Maths | 88% |
| No. of students achieving grade 5 or higher in English | 78% |
| No. of students achieving grade 4 or higher in English | 89% |
| No. of grade 9s achieved | 270 |
| % of students achieving 8 or more GCSEs at grade 8 or higher | 20% |
| No. of students achieving 8 or more GCSE at grade 9 | 26 |
|
English Baccalaureate (EBacc) average point score (APS) |
5.31 |
Such good results don’t happen in isolation and we would like to thank the families who have supported our work at school so positively over the last five years. Their support, patience and encouragement for their children will have made a significant difference to their achievements. We would also like to recognise the skill, dedication and professionalism of the teachers at Varndean. These results show how well the students have been taught and how their thoughtful and individualised approach has paid off.
Congratulations to the class of 2022! Enjoy the moment and come back and see us soon.
Brighton and Hove Secondary Headteachers are jointly celebrating the achievements of our students. Schools have worked in partnership, closely and collaboratively, to ensure that every child in our city has access to a good education and is able to make strong progress. We take collective responsibility for a set of exams results that reflect great levels of attainment and achievement across all schools in Brighton and Hove. We are particularly proud of the ‘Class of 2022’ because of all that they have endured during their journey through Secondary School. Today’s results reflect the hard work and tenacity of fantastic group of students, and an unerring commitment from all schools to joint practice development and partnership for the benefit of every young person in our city.
We also include the following statement on recommendation from the DfE: "Given the uneven impact of the pandemic on school and college performance data, the Government has said you should not make direct comparisons between the performance data for one school or college and another, or to data from previous years.”
Varndean students are celebrating another fantastic set of results this August and staff at the school are delighted with how much the students have achieved.
In typical Varndean fashion our students have shown how well-prepared they are for the next stage of their lives. Despite the disruption to their education in the last 15 months they have been amazingly resilient, they have continued to work hard and were supremely focused during the in-class assessment period in April and May. The results are a consequence of that hard work and resilience and they should all be extremely proud of their achievements.
Such success doesn't happen in isolation and I know lots of students will be grateful for the professionalism and dedication of their teachers and the support staff who have helped make this possible. In turn, Varndean staff are very grateful for the active support of families who have continued to encourage the students through one of the most difficult years any of us can remember.
This group of students can now take the next step with confidence. As well as great results they are a very impressive group of young people who are kind and generous, undaunted by the future, well-rounded, self-aware and determined to make the most of their opportunities. We wish them all the best for their future.
|
% achieving grade 4+ in Eng and maths |
% achieving grade 5+ in English and maths |
% of grades awarded grade 7 or higher |
% achieving grade 5+ in Ebacc |
Attainment 8 (estimated) |
Progress 8 (estimated) |
|
81 |
67 |
39 |
39 |
58.18 |
+0.56 |
| % of students achieving L4+ in Eng and Ma | % of students achieving L5+ in Eng and Ma | % of students achieving L5+ in EBACC | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 |
| 81 | 62 | 24 | 0.36 | 55 |
Staff at Varndean School are absolutely delighted to report that their students have achieved a fantastic set of results this year. Attainment remains very strong at the school where over 30% of all grades achieved were 7, 8 or 9 and 81% of students achieved a grade 4 or better in English and maths (up from 75%) and 62% achieved grade 5 (up from 59%). Early indications for progress are very promising.
We were very ambitious for this group of young people and they have more than lived up to these expectations. More than 60% of students achieved grades better than could have been expected with 30% achieving the equivalent of 1 grade higher than anticipated in all of their subjects. This is a result of their hard work and application and we congratulate all of our students on their amazing achievements and wish them well for the future.
Behind such success is the support and encouragement of the families and the skill, dedication and professionalism of the teachers and support staff at Varndean. Both of these groups deserve our praise and thanks.
William Deighan, Headteacher of Varndean, commented:
These are amazing results and I am delighted for all the young people in the class of 2019. They have exceeded expectations and responded to the belief others have shown in them. More than this they are an exceptional group of people. They are kind, have strong opinions, a sense of community and duty - and are set to do great things with their lives. I wish them every future success.
Varndean School are absolutely delighted to report a significant increase in our GCSE results this year.
| % of students achieving L4+ in Eng and Ma | % of students achieving L5+ in Eng and Ma | % of students achieving L5+ in EBACC | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 |
| 75 | 59 | 21 | 0.32 | 53 |
You may also wish to see the Department For Education School Performance Table.
|
% of students achieving L4+ in Eng and Ma |
% of students achieving L5+ in Eng and Ma |
% of students achieving L5+ in EBACC |
Progress 8 |
Attainment 8 |
|
67 |
55 |
22 |
-0.17 |
47.2 |
Congratulations to all our students on their exam results.
Results show a continued upwards trajectory of students making above expected progress in the majority of subjects.
61% achieved 5 A*-C including English and Mathematics (best English)
40% of all grades awarded were A*-B
Best ever progress in English and Mathematics
Estimated Progress 8 +0.22
Positive value added score 1022
You may also wish to see the Department for Education School Performance table.
We aim to provide students with high quality careers education through our Learning for Life programme and High Impact Days in years 7-11.
As students reach the point they have to make decisions about what they do next we have a programme of support involving year 10 Enrichment week, Making The Grade evenings, form tutors and access to our level 7 qualified careers advisor (Amanda Carroll - in school every Wednesday). The vast majority (99%) of our 2015-16 cohort have been offered a place in post 16 education or work based training.
