Ixworth celebrates top 10 position for student progress
Ixworth Free School, which is part of the Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust (the Trust), is celebrating its Progress 8 performance table position as eighth out of 92 secondary schools in Suffolk, for the progress students have made since age 11. All three of the Trust’s schools, which include Beccles and Saxmundham Free Schools, are in the top 10 in Suffolk. The league table position follows the release of provisional Progress 8 performance data today (12 October 2017) by the Department for Education.
The overall Progress 8 score is 0.45 at Ixworth Free School, which means all students progressed to achieve half a grade higher than was predicted at age 11 in every GCSE subject. The school is third in the league table for students who achieved the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), and also fifth in the table for its Attainment 8 score of 50.5, which shows how well students have performed across eight key GCSE subjects including English and maths.
The Progress 8 measure shows how much progress a Year 11 GCSE student has made since the start of secondary school. It is designed to ensure schools are pushing each student to reach their individual potential and measures the value the school adds in helping all students achieve higher than they were predicted at age 11.
Graham Watson of the Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust said: “We are incredibly proud to see that students across all three schools in the Trust have made fantastic progress during their time at our schools, and we expect our Progress 8 scores to rise further when the validated data is released in January. We believe Progress 8 is the fairest measure when comparing schools, and it should be a key consideration for parents when choosing a school for their children.”
This is the first year that Ixworth Free School students have received GCSE results since opening in 2014.
Graham Watson continued: “We are thrilled to be in the top 10 for student progress amongst schools across the county and Ixworth Free School has done exceptionally well with its first set of GCSE results and the impressive Progress 8 performance score.
“The Progress 8 scores are testament to our strength of teaching in key subjects like maths and English, our small and friendly school environments, and the variety of enrichment opportunities available for all students. Our ethos at the Trust is to equip students with the widest range of skills needed to prepare them for life beyond school, so we are delighted to see that all our Year 11 leavers this year have gone on to their chosen college, sixth-form or an Apprenticeship.”
The results published today by the Department for Education are un-validated because they haven’t taken into account any GCSE papers which schools sent back for remarking. The official tables will be published in January 2018.