Ballard School see superb value added in excellent GCSE results
Post-pandemic restorations to grading could not curb the GCSEs cohort at Ballard School this summer, as record results came to the fore.
Ballard School is a thriving and welcoming co-educational day school in Hampshire for children aged 2 to 16, where the aim is to ignite passions and develop skills for future careers, but also for life.
A staggering 40.7% of entries were achieved at the top grades of 9 to 7, an increase of 4% from last year’s record. Truly amazing from this Ballard cohort considering the circumstances of 2023 exams.
Most notably though for the New Milton school was the fact that every pupil gained an average increase of just shy of an entire grade compared to predicted outcomes, at 0.85, showcasing the immense value added by students and staff alike.
14.3% of results were awarded at the very highest level of grade 9, and all pupils passed English and Higher Maths. Of all entries across all subjects, 94.7% were earned between grades 9 and 4.
Impressively, 15 subjects saw 100% of all grades at 9-4: Art, Biology,
The following subjects gained 100% Grade 9-4: Chemistry, Dance, Drama, English, Food & Nutrition, French, German, Mathematics (Higher), Music, Physics, Spanish, PE and Statistics.
Ballard School, recently commended for their Excellence and Innovation in the Performing Arts in the ISA Awards 2023, celebrated 75% of entries at grades 9-7 in Dance. This figure stood at 60% for Art.
Subjects such as History, Geography, Germany, English, Physics, Chemistry and Food Tech also saw over 50% of all entries rewarded with grades 9-7.
Matthew Higgins, Deputy Head Academic for the school, reflected on how pupils ‘rose’ to the challenge this summer and the ‘wonderful’ support of Ballard’s teachers:
“Congratulations must be given to this cohort whose GCSE exams were set to pre-pandemic standards. Our pupils rose to this challenge and were supported by our wonderful teachers, many of whom gave up their free time (including weekends and holidays) alongside daily GCSE Raising Attainment sessions.
“Our tailored revision timetable helped pupils' preparation, so they were calm, confident, and composed before each exam. This provision enabled them to do their best, pushing our most able pupils further. Our brightest mathematicians were able to take Additional Maths (Level 3) with 80% passing at Grade A.”
Andrew McCleave, Headmaster, was ‘hugely proud’ of this group:
“I am hugely proud of this year group. Whilst they have achieved excellent GCSE grades, real credit must go to all our young people for the positive and resilient way they approached life at Ballard. They leave us ready for the next stage of their education, and we wish them well.”
