It is always wonderful to see the hard work of our pupils and staff rewarded with excellent examination results. We are delighted that the A level success of last year’s Upper Sixth is reflected in the newly published DfE performance tables, placing BGS second in Bristol (with only Badminton School ahead of us) and well inside the top 100 schools in England. With 60% of all results being an A* or A grade and a magnificent 24% of all grades awarded the top A* grade, this position is well-deserved.
At GCSE level, the data in the performance tables is misleading. At BGS we follow several IGCSE courses as we believe the more consistent and rigorous curriculum they offer is better preparation for A levels. This includes the Edexcel IGCSE mathematics qualification, however the DfE does not include this qualification in its data.
For this reason, the performance tables give a figure of just 18% for BGS pupils reaching the benchmark of five A*–C GCSEs including mathematics and English. This figure excludes all but the 24 Year 11 pupils who took Further Mathematics, which is recognised by the DfE. If IGCSE mathematics was to be included, 99% of Bristol Grammar School pupils gained five or more A*–C GCSE passes, including English and mathematics, last year.
The performance table statistics disguise the impressive achievements of a very hard-working cohort of pupils. Overall, 71.8% of exams were awarded an A* or an A grade with 18 students securing ten of more A*, while 72 individuals were awarded eight or more A* or A grades.