Students and families were delighted to celebrate their GCSE and BTEC outcomes today at The Halley Academy, a culmination of all their hard work and progress during their time with us over the last 5 years. Their achievements are a true reflection of what makes The Halley Academy such a unique and exciting learning community defined by hardworking students, committed staff and strong home-school partnerships, where our values of respect, achievement, collaboration, integrity and resilience underpin everything we do.
This results day marks a momentous and historic occasion for the academy. Our Year 11 cohort were the first set of students to join The Halley Academy in Year 7 back in 2018. Our students have overcome unprecedented challenges, principally the disruption to their education caused by a global pandemic. Moreover, this set of examinations marks the return to the higher grade boundaries and full suite of papers that existed in the pre-pandemic period.
We could not be more delighted, therefore, that the academy has achieved its best set of GCSE results in its history. Over 70% of students achieved a good pass in their English qualifications, with over 60% achieving a grade 4 in mathematics. Across the curriculum, whether in English literature, triple science, MFL, business or sport, our average grade scores were over 4.5.
These results mean The Halley Academy would stand as one of the most improved secondary schools in England, since joining Leigh Academies Trust in 2018. On a number of key performance indicators, our students are approaching or outperforming important national benchmarks for the first time. Of particular note, over a quarter of students achieved the prestigious English Baccalaureate qualification, significantly above the national average of 2019.
At a student level, notable successes were:
- Lily: 2 grade 9s, 3 grade 8s, 1 grade 7, 1 grade 6;
- Bianca: 2 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s, 1 grade 5;
- Mehak: 4 grade 9s, 1 grade 8, 1 grade 7, 1 grade 5;
- Carol: 3 grade 9s, 1 grade 8, 3 grade 7s, Level 2 Distinction; and
- Rian: 3 grade 9s, 4 grade 7s, and a Level 2 Distinction.
Mr Russell, Principal, commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled for the successes and achievements of our Year 11 students. Through steadfast hard work, resilience and commitment to their learning, students have achieved results that are a true testament to their talents. With an ambitious curriculum, excellent teaching and personalised pastoral care, these outcomes show how our academy community delivers on providing an excellent comprehensive education to students of all abilities and backgrounds. They personify our school motto in practice, as together they have inspired, learned and achieved”.
Ms Sharma, Deputy Principal commented, “We could not be more proud of our students collective and individual achievements which would not have been possible without their dedication, the unwavering support from parents and carers, and the outstanding guidance of staff”.
These results follow a hugely successful IB results day earlier in July, where our IBCP students outperformed international benchmarks, and our BTEC results day in August, where over half of all grades were recorded at the top Distinction and Distinction* levels.