Borough's best ever GCSE results

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Hammersmith & Fulham secondary schools have achieved the borough's best overall GCSE results ever - with spectacular improvements at Phoenix High School, in White City, where the percentage of students getting five or more good GCSE passes more than doubled to 60 per cent.

Sacred Heart High School, in Hammersmith, and Fulham Cross School, in Fulham, also achieved their best results ever with 91 per cent of students at Sacred Heart gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C and 52 per cent of students at Fulham Cross gaining five good GCSE passes.

The provisional figure for the percentage of Hammersmith & Fulham pupils gaining five or more passes at grades A* to C is 56.6 per cent - five percentage points up on the borough's previous best of 51.6 per cent in 2003. This year's figure of 56.6 is expected to be at least as good as the percentage of students nationally getting five or more GCSEs at A* - C (national average was 53.7 last year) when the final school performance tables are published in January.

William Atkinson, who is celebrating his tenth year as headteacher of Phoenix High School, said: "This is the best tenth anniversary present I could have had. Results have already doubled at Phoenix High over the last three years and we were confident they would improve significantly this year. This is a really dramatic improvement which is in line with our expectations and is thanks to the hard work of students and staff as well as the tremendous support we have had from parents, the governing body and the council."

Viv Bird, chair of governors at Phoenix High School, said: "This is a big step forward for the school, which shows the results that a dedicated and inspirational headteacher can bring with the support of his staff, pupils, governors, parents and the council. The school, helped by our specialist science college status, has reached a new level of improvement and we are looking forward to the opening, in partnership with the council, of a new £4 million swimming pool for students and residents as well as a £1.2 million technology block for the school due to take place at the end of the year."

The school's top student, Joseph Cotter, 16, got five grade As and eight A*s in his GCSEs. He said: "I am told I have achieved the school's best ever results and I am very proud of that - it feels as if I have made history." Joseph, from White City, will study for the International Baccalaureate at Richmond College. He wants to be a pilot and a writer.
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Christine Carpenter, headteacher of Sacred Heart High School, said: "I am absolutely delighted with our results, which are thanks to the hard work and commitment of pupils and staff."

Among Sacred Heart High's top students was Charlotte Rice, 16, who got seven A*s and four As in her GCSEs and has won a scholarship to study drama, music, philosophy & ethics and maths A-levels at Latymer Upper School, in Hammersmith. She said: "I am absolutely ecstatic. I didn't think I would do this well."

Lady Margaret School's results were the second best in the school's recent history, with 94.5 per cent of pupils gaining five or more passes at grades A* - C. Apart from last year's figure of 97 per cent, the result is the school's best since 1994. The London Oratory School matched last year's excellent figure of 93 per cent.

Burlington Danes, Hurlingham and Chelsea and Henry Compton schools all saw significant improvements on last year's results, with the percentage of students gaining five or more A* - C grades rising by five percentage points at Burlington Danes and Henry Compton schools and by nearly seven percentage points at Hurlingham and Chelsea School.

Cllr Melanie Smallman, cabinet member for education, said: "Young people in Hammersmith & Fulham secondary schools have shown that they can produce outstanding results, whatever their ability and background. It is thanks to the support of their parents and the schools as well as the commitment of teachers and governors.
I am particularly pleased to see such spectacular improvements at Phoenix High School, where the strong leadership of the headteacher, backed with substantial support from the governing body and the council, has transformed standards and facilities."

September 4, 2005