GCSE EXCELLENCE 2010 Enfield – a rapidly improving authority English and maths compared to 49% in 2009 and the percentage recording 3+A*/A grades rose from 25% to a remarkable 39%. At Highlands School, results for the benchmark indicator of 5+A*-C grades including English and maths rose from 58.2% to 77.7%, whilst 40.8% gained 3+A*/A grades; the highest percentage in the authority for a non selective school. On the same benchmark measure, Winchmore School jumped from 43% of pupils achieving this standard in 2009 to 58.8% in 2010, Kingsmead leapt from 40.9% to 57.5% and St Ignatius College recorded its highest ever results when 68% of boys achieved 5+ A*-C grades including In 2010, schools in Enfield achieved record results at English and maths. GCSE, which for the first time were above the national average. Meanwhile the already high performing schools maintained their impressive standards in relation to the In 2010, 59.4% of Enfield pupils in mainstream benchmark measure: The Latymer 100%, Southgate schools achieved 5+ GCSE A*-C grades with English School 68%, St Anne’s Catholic High School 65%, and maths, up from 54.4% in 2009 and showing a Enfield Grammar School 69% (actually a boys’ steadily rising five year trend from 44.7% in 2006. comprehensive despite the name), Enfield County Overall 74.1% achieved 5+A*-C grades, up from School 67%. 69.5% in 2009 and again on a five year rising trend from 55.5% in 2006. Special mention must be made of The Gladys Aylward School (now the Nightingale Academy) which Even more pleasing in many ways were the improved from 24% 5+ A*-C grades including English outstanding improvements in pupils making three and and maths in 2009 reaching the magic 30% in 2010. four levels of progress from KS2 in English and maths, Even more impressively, 50% of pupils gained an A*- which for the second year running were significantly C grade in English language, a remarkable above the national averages. achievement in this multi racial school where 58% of pupils speak English as an additional language. In English 77% made 3 levels of progress compared to the national average of 70% whilst 42% progressed by 4 levels compared to the national figure of 33% In maths 68% progressed by 3 levels and 39% by 4 compared to the national averages of 64% and 31% respectively. As with many authorities, performance in science has been an ongoing concern, reflecting the staffing difficulties experienced by many schools. We were therefore delighted that this year 58% of pupils gained two good A*-C grades in science, up from 49% in 2009. Star Performers Results in a number of schools improved very significantly in 2010. At Bishop Stopford’s Cof E school, 60% of pupils gained 5A*-C grades with Government Initiatives IQ 1 GCSE EXCELLENCE 2010 What are the drivers of improvement? this programme has been plain to see in the English results at Gladys Aylward, one of the pilot project schools. In recent years, Enfield has developed a highly effective school improvement partnership in which the Another contributor to the overall improvements in LA advisers and consultants work closely with results has been the Achievement Leader Project, schools, drawing on their expertise to drive devised by the Secondary team, which has developed improvement and build capacity across the LA, and clarified the role of year leaders in tracking and particularly in core subjects. For example, the LA monitoring the academic progress of individual pupils science consultant actively manages, deploys, supports and groups in their years. The Achievement Leader is and quality assures the work of a team of ASTs and key to ensuring that no pupil slips through the net and Leading Teachers with obviously impressive results. that rigorous, relentless accountability is in place at all Headteachers of the schools contributing the expertise levels to identify, challenge and remedy agree that their schools benefit from the professional underachievement. The project has led to significant development and career opportunities this provides for changes in pedagogy where the underachievement of their staff. From the LA perspective this approach also specific groups has been identified and challenged. It contributes to succession planning as a significant has also redefined the focus of intervention as number of these school based consultants have gone on something that happens within the classroom, driven to become highly effective middle and senior leaders by the subject teacher, rather than something that within the authority. happens outside the classroom. The headteacher at Bishop Stopford’s School attributes the stunning Enfield is committed to innovation and development improvement in results in 2010 to the relentless focus and therefore actively involves all schools in projects on individual pupil progress which is at the heart of tailored to meet the needs of our large, multi racial and this approach. Six of our schools are now involved in increasingly deprived community. Enfield is in part a the second year of this project. very leafy borough but the majority of families live in the East, which is now recognised as an area of very Delighted though we are with the 2010 results, we high socio- economic deprivation. know there is still more to do. For example we are committed to developing high quality vocational Since 2008, the School improvement Service has pathways to meet the needs of students less suited to focused on delivering the LILAC (Language in the traditional academic model. As we plan for a Learning Across the Curriculum) programme in a future, the shape of which is not easy to discern, we number of schools. All our consultants are accredited are committed to the further development of the LILAC trainers. The programme specifically aims to Enfield Learning Family, facilitating and enhancing remove the barriers to success faced by those pupils the sharing of school based expertise, thereby who are advanced bi-lingual learners. They typically maximising the support available to all schools and speak fluent transactional and playground English but securing the best possible outcomes for all our children frequently lack the grammatical and linguistic skills to and young people. succeed at the highest academic levels. The impact of Government Initiatives IQ 2 .