GCSE results day for BSF schools

21 August 2008

Students across the country have been collecting their GCSE results today, including those at a number of schools which have been refurbished or built from scratch as part of the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Of the four mainstream BSF secondary schools - in Bristol, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland - which have been operational for at least a year, Oxclose Community School in Sunderland saw the highest number of students obtaining 5 or more A* to C grades including English and Maths. This year 62% of Oxclose students were awarded GCSE grades A* to C including English and Maths, compared with 41% in 2007. [A table containing the results for all four schools is included in Note 2 below].

Tony Cunningham, Headteacher of Oxclose Community School, Sunderland, said: "We are delighted with our record-breaking GCSE results this year. Pupils and staff are to be commended for their outstanding commitment and achievements. Our refurbished facilities have allowed new opportunities to deliver high-quality teaching and learning in a first-class learning environment which certainly made a contribution to Oxclose Community School achieving its best ever GCSE results."

Steve Robinson, Headteacher of Chaucer Business and Enterprise College, Sheffield, said: "These are the best results in the history of the school and show a 29% and 7% improvement respectively on the last set of results achieved prior to the completion of the new build (in 2006).

"There is no doubt in my mind that the new build has had a huge impact on student achievement."

Armando Di-Finizio, Principal of Bristol Brunel Academy, said: "Throughout the year we have never let students forget how they felt on their first day in the new school, and how awe inspired they were by the building and facilities. We talk to them about how special the school is, and what a gift it has been for the local community. A new start in a new school has allowed us to work on changing the ethos with the students, raising their confidence and self belief.

"The whole school team have been 100% committed to making Bristol Brunel Academy a success, and the personalised learning agenda - working on an individual basis with every student – has made a real difference."

David Carter, Executive Principal of Bristol Brunel Academy, said: "The staff, governors and students at Bristol Brunel Academy are excited and delighted with the GCSE results of 2008 that mark the end of our first year as a new academy. 62% of the students gained five higher grades with 34% gaining them with English and Maths. This is a huge improvement on the results in 2007 in the predecessor school, when 30% gained five higher grades and only 19% including English and Maths. The new leadership team, the new building, the improved ethos and the willingness of the whole community to support the new school have helped to make this a magnificent achievement."

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, the government agency delivering the BSF programme, congratulated students and teachers across England on this year's exam success. He added: "Whenever I visit new or refurbished BSF schools, teachers, students and their parents tell me what a difference the new environment is making, and independent research is starting to confirm this as well.  Young people feel safer, they feel proud about their school and want to go there every day, and most importantly they feel inspired to learn.

"And when students want to spend time at school, to enjoy new facilities such as state-of-the-art ICT and new ways of learning, then we hope that the outcome will be greater exam success, and brighter futures, for millions of young people.

"We must not ignore the hugely important role of teachers and headteachers in making BSF schools a success, after all it is their professionalism and innovation which is bringing these buildings to life.

"Today's results are just the tip of the iceberg, and with more than 20 BSF schools opening next month we look forward building on this success with 2009's examination results."

1. For the purpose of this release we have focused on results from mainstream secondary (11-16) schools which have been open for at least a full academic year. SEN schools, and those open for less than a full academic year, have not been included in the table below.
2. Percentage of students awarded five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C (the figure in brackets includes English and Maths).
   
   

   School	2006	2007	2008
   All Saints College, Newcastle	32%  (14%)	48%  (17%)	41%  (17%)
   Bristol Brunel Academy, Bristol	23%  (11%)	30%  (19%)	62%  (34%)
   Chaucer Business & Enterprise College, Sheffield	20%  (15%)	39%  (18%)	49%  (22%)
   Oxclose Community School, Sunderland	62%  (24%)	66%  (41%)	77%  (62%)

   
   
3. Research conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research, The effects of the school environment on young people’s attitudes towards education and learning, found that students felt safer and enjoyed to school more in their new BSF school. The proportions of students:
   - who said that they felt safe at school most or all of the time increased from 57% to 87%
   - who said that they felt proud of their school increased from 43% to 77%
   - who said that they enjoyed going to school increased from 50% to 61%
   - who perceived that vandalism was at least ‘a bit of a problem’ in their school decreased from 84% of respondents to 33%
   - who perceived that bullying was a big problem decreased from 39% of students in the ‘before’ survey, to 16% in the ‘after’ survey
   - who expected to stay on in the sixth form or to go to college increased from 64% to 77%.
   
4. There are now 13 BSF schools schools open nationwide: Bristol Metropolitan College, Bristol (April 08); Ifield School, Kent (March 08); Michael Tippett  School, Lambeth (Feb 08); Sandon High School, Stoke (Feb 08); Birches Head, Stoke (Oct 07); Elmgreen School, Lambeth (Sept 07); Bristol Brunel Academy (Sept 07); Sixth Form, Haringey (Sept 07); Oxclose Community School, Sunderland (June 07); Chaucer Business and Enterprise College, Sheffield (Oct 06); Bamburgh School, STaG  (Oct 06); All Saints College, Newcastle (Sept 06); and Forest Oak and Merstone Schools (May 06).
5. Over 20 new and refurbished BSF schools are due to open for the new academic year in September 2008. A total of 35 BSF schools are expected to open in the financial year 2008/09, increasing to around 115 in 2009/10, and over 150 in 2010/11.
6. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. BSF will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England.
7. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. PfS was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DCSF (formerly DfES) and Partnerships UK.