Exam Results and Analysis

The performance at KS3 of the students in each of English, Mathematics and Science is very high compared with the national medians for their age group and their average points score up to 2008, when the National SAT examinations ceased to be statutory, put them above the 95th percentile in each core subject. Performance at KS3 showed some variability over the last 5 years of the national examinations from 2004 to 2008. In Mathematics, there was an upward trend with the average points score increasing from 47.2 to 48.9 with the score in 2008 (48.9) representing the school's best ever performance. In Science, the average score remained nearly constant between 2004 (42.3) and 2007 (42.9), but there was an improvement in 2008 with the score reaching 43.7. The picture in English is more mixed and reflects the uncertainty nationally over this particular measure - the average scores have fluctuated erratically over the last five years between 42.8 and 40.9. In 2008 the results were at their lowest score (40.9) for 5 years and are the subject of an appeal.

The GCSE performance at the school showed a year-on-year increase in points scored per candidate from 2004 to 2007 (increasing from 70.3 to 78.0 in old points). The very high score in 2007 was the result of two factors. From MidYis testing the school knew that the 2007 cohort was the best ever and the results at GCSE confirmed this. There was also a systemic reason for the high points score (604.9/78.0). All students were required to do two languages in 2007 and two groups also took GCSE statistics for the first time. In 2008 the school decided that the curriculum had become too crowded and so there was no longer an insistence that students studied two languages. Nonetheless, the GCSE performance was very strong in 2008 with an average points score of 5588 and the percentage of A and A* grades was 64.8 which was the third best ever performance by the school in this measure at GCSE. The 2009 results were also very strong and the total points score per candidate was the best ever with a score of 612.7.

The impact of specialist status in both languages and, more recently, business studies has been positive. One target of the third phase language college bid was that 95% of students in Y10 and 50% in Y11 in 2006 should take two languages at GCSE. This was exceeded and, in fact, all students took two languages. This insistence on two languages for all students was reviewed in 2006 and it was felt that it constricted the curriculum too much and so from 2008 students were only required to do only one language although there is positive encouragement to study two. The school has also offered Mandarin as an option for Y8 students since 2007 and the take-up has been excellent. In fact, over 75 students each year since 2007 haveexpressed an interest even thought there were only 50 places available. This may also result in an increase in the number of dual linguists. This enthusiasm for Mandarin has continued and we now have over 30 students embarking on a GCSE Mandarin course.

In business studies the numbers taking GCSE have increased dramatically over the last 5 years. In 2005 61 students took Business studies at GCSE level. This had increased to 113 by 2008. The results at GCSE have generally been very strong with 42 A* grades in 2007, for example. The 2008 grades seem anomalous and were the subject of an appeal. A new course was taken for the first time in 2009 and although candidates were in the main successful, they did not in general score the high grades we would expect. The current Y11 in 2009 have however attained much higher scores in their first half of the business course and so we expect much better Y11 performances in Business Studies this year.

The KS2 - KS4 contextual value added scores for TBGS over the years for which these figures exist have all been positive. For all subjects, the KS2 to KS4 CVA was 1019.8 in 2006, 1017.0 in 2007 and reached a high in 2007 of 1025.0. In 2009 the CVA for KS2 to KS4 was 1013.3. These measures suggest that although the students who enter the school do have great potential, the school is more than adequately challenging such students and is ensuring they achieve well beyond their mean performance

In order to equip students in ICT, all students at TBGS now (from 2007) study either ECDL or an OCR National in ICT. The increased level of ICT competence has become evident in the students' performance and presentations in other subjects and TBGS is currently evaluating the full impact of the introduction of these two ICT qualifications.

The trend in performance in the Sixth form over the last five years has been one of improvement. In 2004 the percentage of A/B grades was 60.2 but by 2009 it had risen to 71.5. This average points score put the school in the top 5% of maintained schools nationally. The number of passes per candidate was 4.14 and the mean points per candidate was 385.1. The year 13 students in 2009 were the highest scoring year ever MidYis and ALIS predictions and the results were in line with expectation and there were some outstanding individual performances. This best-ever performance is rather puzzlingly not reflected in the CVA score which is 972.5. Perhaps this is due to the exceptional performance of this cohort at GCSE? In 2009 28 students achieved 4 or more A grades and there were 12 students who gained Oxbridge places

Among a consistently high standard of performance from every department, some individual subject performances have been outstanding. Using a value-added measure devised by ALIS, the business studies, economics, media studies, English, physics, chemistry and mathematics departments have performed at a level which is in the top 2.5% of all schools in the ALIS cohort on at least one occasion in the last 5 years.