Year 11 students in Barnet have collected their GCSE results today [12 August]. As with last year, grades have been allocated by students’ subject teachers and senior leaders following the cancellation of exams again due to COVID-19.
Barnet news
While national league tables have again been suspended this year, it is expected that Barnet students will again perform strongly in their GCSEs. In 2019, the last time there were external examinations, students in the borough ranked second for Progress 8 scores, which gauge the progress made by each student during their time at secondary school, placing them second in the country out of 151 local authorities.
At the same time, the average Attainment 8 score, which is a way of measuring pupils across eight qualifications including Maths and English, also saw Barnet ranked second highest nationally and this was repeated again in 2020 with school assessed grades.
Barnet Council is confident again this year that the borough’s schools will have carried out the assessments in a robust and fair way and that the final gradings will be an accurate reflection of the students’ abilities. Barnet Council anticipates that the borough’s results this year will again be above the London average and in the top 5% of the country when the data is released early in 2022.
Councillor David Longstaff, Chair of Barnet Council’s Children Education and Safeguarding Committee, said: “Our students have always been high achievers and I’m sure this year will be no exception. Last year, Barnet students in Year 11 gained the second-best attainment scores in the country. We are very proud of them, particularly considering the 14 months of disrupted education that they have faced.
“All our secondary schools are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, so we are confident the grade assessments given to students will be fair and accurate.”
Elizabeth Rymer, Headteacher of Whitefield School in Hendon, said: “We are immensely proud of the achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure students get the results they deserve. So many students achieved results that they should be proud of, and importantly set themselves up for their next step to Sixth Form College or onto apprenticeships.
“I am delighted that so many students have chosen to carry on their studies for A Levels and Vocational courses at Whitefield Sixth Form. Despite all the challenges our young people have faced across the last 18 months, they have remained positive, kind and cheerful throughout. They have also developed important life skills like resilience, patience and self-study that will help them whatever the future holds in store.”
Support for students
The Barnet Council website has a range of information on the support available to young people including Kooth, a free, anonymous and 24/7 online counselling service for young people between ages 11 and 24. For more information visit: www.kooth.com
The Barnet Education Careers Service will be available to support Barnet’s students between August 10 and August 18 during A-level and GSCE results via a ‘Duty Line’.
The duty line number is: 020 8359 2011.