Fulham Students Excel at GCSEs in Challenging Circumstances
Local schools see improved grades despite tougher marking standards
Fulham Cross Boys pupils react to their GCSE results
September 2, 2024
This year’s GCSE cohort began their courses during lockdown yet the marking standards applied were back to those prevailing before the pandemic.
Despite this uniquely challenging set of circumstances, pupils at schools in the Fulham area delivered some outstanding results.
Fulham Boys School achieved its best set of GCSE results for the second year in a row.
In English 95.9 per cent of students, and in Maths 91.8 per cent, achieved grade 4 or above, with 73 per cent achieving grade 5 or higher.
In total, 46.8 per cent of all GCSE grades were 7, 8 or 9, with 38.5 per cent of boys achieving at least one grade 9.
Outside English and Maths, the school’s top performing departments were:
History, where two thirds of students achieved grade 7 or above
3D design, where 90 per cent achieved grade 7 or above
RE, with 76.6 per cent earning grade 7 or above
Standout stars include Simeon, who secured 10 straight grade 9s, Reuben who earned eight grade 9s and two grade 8s, and Nicholas, James and Mats, who each achieved all grade 9s bar one.
Headmaster David Smith commented, “We are delighted that our students have achieved such a great set of GCSE results, with some outstanding individual success stories.
“In English and Maths, we are over 30 per cent above national averages and the average attainment grade is well above a 6, which clearly demonstrates that our young men do exceptionally well here at FBS.
“Our boys have worked tirelessly to meet their potential and lay foundations for the next step of their academic journey. As ever this would not have been possible without the hard work of FBS staff and support from our parents; thank you yet again.”
Many Year 11s will now enrol in the school’s sixth form to study A-levels, while others move on to study elsewhere, or work. Pupils have secured places to study music, digital design, electrical installation, multi-trades – and even to sign professional football contracts.
At Fulham Cross Girls school more than a third of all results were grade 7 or above, with 11 per cent achieving grade 9s.
The best performance was from Molly Prescott who scored a clean sweep of grade 9s. Her classmates Ealaf, Juliana and Shahrazad receive all grade 9s and one grade 8. Nouran, Sara, Maddie, Aqsa, Mona and Zoe got grade 8s and 9s across the board.
39 per cent of students achieved grade 7 or higher in English. In triple science, more than two thirds scored grade 7 and above, while 23 per cent of trilogy (biology, physics & chemistry) science students got top grades; more than double the national average in 2023.
Of French and Geography students, 23 per cent scored on average one grade higher than targeted, with more than 50 per cent of all French pupils getting a grade 7 or higher.
Sally Brooks, executive principal of the Fulham Cross Academy Trust said, Today, we’re here at Fulham Cross Girls’ School celebrating the achievement of our wonderful girls. I think this is possibly our best ever results. Almost two thirds of the girls got a 7 and above in all of the sciences, single and double. English results were through the roof again. We’ve had almost 20 students with a suite of 8s and 9s.”
Fulham Cross Girls proudly display their GCSE results
At Lady Margaret School 96 per cent of girls gained Grade 4 or over in English Lit, 97 per cent in English Language, 95 per cent in Maths and 93 per cent in both English and Maths.
In the English Baccalaureate there was a 68 per cent success rate of Lady Margaret girls attaining five GCSEs with a minimum of Grade 4 in English, Maths and three other ‘E Bacc’ subjects out of Sciences, History, Geography, French and Spanish.
Overall, the school’s GCSE students achieved 51 per cent of grades from 7 to 9, and 84 per cent between 5 and 9, with an average of 6.23 – very similar to last year.
Headteacher Elisabeth Stevenson said, “We're delighted. Our Year 11 students, along with those across the country, faced significant disruption to their education during the pandemic. They have worked incredibly hard and they are to be commended for their commitment to their studies and for the ways in which they have supported each other through difficult times.
“These are excellent results, and we are so proud of all girls in Year 11. “Congratulations to everyone in Year 11, and thank you to parents and carers for their support and encouragement, and to staff for their hard work and commitment to our students. The students can be very proud of these results and of all they have achieved at Lady Margaret School.”
She said that she looked forward to welcoming many of them back to the sixth form next month and wished all the students “every happiness and success in the next stage of their education”.
Lady Margaret School students check out their results
With marking standards being brought back up to pre-pandemic levels and average grades across the country at their lowest level since 2019, pupils in schools across the Hammersmith area have delivered some exceptional results.
This GCSE cohort faced unprecedented challenges with their courses interrupted by lockdown with many having to deal with the challenges of remote learning.
Despite this Sacred Heart High School’s students saw grades up 12 per cent from last year. Almost 50 per cent of all grades achieved were 7, 8 or 9s and 81 per cent were a 5 or above. Nearly two thirds of students achieved a Grade 6 or above in both English and Maths, and 77 per cent achieved a Grade 5 or above in both subjects – an increase of 10 per cent since last year.
A representative from the school added, “These results are a testament to the hard work of our students. We thank our staff for their commitment and dedication – congratulations to all!”
A montage of Sacred Heart students receiving their GCSEs
More than half of all grades at West London Free School were in the top 7 to 9 bracket, the school’s best ever performance .
Out of the exams taken by the school’s 130 Year 11 group, 50.4 per cent attained grades 7 to 9, up from 48.4 per cent last year. And 89.5 per cent of all grades achieved were in the 4 to 9 pass range, up from 85.6 per cent in 2023.
Joint headteacher Robert Peal described himself as “overjoyed”, adding, “This cohort of Year 11s has been a wonderful year group, with incredibly hard-working students, and it has been a pleasure to see how happy they are on results day.”
“Seven pupils gained straight 8s and 9s across the board, with 85 per cent of all students passing both English and Maths, up from 83 per cent last year. “
Joint head Ben McLaughlin was also delighted that 63 per cent of students had achieved the EBacc qualification, requiring GCSE passes in English, Maths, Sciences, a humanity subject (history or geography) and a foreign language.
With a record number of students achieving the required grades to move into the sixth form in September, the school hopes most will opt to stay.
West London Free School students show off their grades
“We are looking forward to welcoming many to the sixth form, and will be sending the very best of luck to those who are starting somewhere new. Well done to all the hard-working students, their families who supported them, and the WLFS staff who are such brilliant role models,” said Mr McLaughlin.
Ian Hunter, chief executive of the Knowledge Schools Trust, added, “The pupils and staff at West London Free School have knocked it out of the park with a stellar set of GCSE results. These are likely to see the school ranked as one of the top non-selective secondary schools in England and Wales.”
At Westside School, an alternative provision school on Galena Road, every student received grades 1 to 9 with 50 per cent earning grades 4 or higher.
The students face significant challenges so this outcome represents a host of personal pupil success stories.
The school said, “We are immensely proud of this summer’s GCSE results, which are a powerful testament to the dedication, resilience, and hard work of our students.
“Amid growing concerns over record exclusions, Westside School is proving that positive outcomes are achievable through a commitment to the highest standards, innovative and holistic curriculum adaptations, and a proven system of personalised care.”
Westside students celebrate their achievements
92% of the grades awarded to Year 11 students at Godolphin & Latymer were 9 or 8. The school said, “This is a testament to the students’ tremendous hard work and the dedication and expertise of those teaching and supporting them. We look forward to welcoming the cohort into our Sixth Form and are excited to work with them as they continue to develop into happy and successful young women.”
21.8% of entries across the UK were awarded grade 7 or above, the equivalent of an A grade under the old system which is still used in Northern Ireland and Wales, down slightly on last year but above the level seen in 2019.
The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C, which is deemed to be a passing grade, fell from 68.2 per cent last year to 67.6 per cent this year.
The results show growing inequalities across the country with the gap between north and south and private and state schools widening further.
48.4 per cent of private school entries scored a grade 7 and above compared to 19.4 per cent of those at comprehensive schools.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said, “These pupils have shown remarkable resilience and determination, defying unprecedented disruption throughout the pandemic, Raac and strike action.”
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