Results

Highfields College has a diverse cohort in terms of academic ability – and many will join us midway through Key Stage 4, sometimes even just a few months before final exams. To meet need we offer offer a selection of GCSEs alongside a range of alternative qualifications and accreditations.

What qualifications and accreditations do we offer?

The GCSEs we currently offer ‘as standard’ are GCSE English Language, GCSE Maths and GCSE Biology – we try to ensure all students are in a position to sit these exams. For those willing and able to access them, we also offer GCSE English Literature, GCSE Art, GCSE Physics and GCSE Chemistry.

In terms of alternative core subject qualifications, we offer Functional Skills qualifications for Maths, English and Science starting with Entry Level Awards. We try to ensure all students gain these awards as a ‘back up’ for GCSE.

From there, we also offer vocational qualifications including various AQA awards based on vocational / technical skills, the Sports Leadership Award, the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and the Food and Safety – Handler Award.

We work with our college partners to ensure that these qualifications carry a level of recognition, enabling KS4 leavers to then access post-16 courses that reflect their ability and prior achievement.

What are our results like?

The results of each student are wide and varied, based on their ability and personal circumstances. For students with a higher level of academic ability who are engaging well with school, we can offer up to 7 GCSEs. However, this is not suitable for all of our students and for many we offer GCSEs alongside a range of vocationally-orientated qualifications.

The way we track and report performance at Highfields College is to assign each qualification and accreditation a ‘valuation score’ – this means how much value the qualification / accreditation carries. With GCSEs, the score is the same as the grade – so a grade 4 carries a score of 4. With other qualifications, each one carries a specific score as outlined here:

Based on this, if a student earns 8 points, then they have broadly gained the equivalent of 8 GCSEs at Grade 1. If a student achieves 24+ points then they achieve broadly the equivalent of 6 GCSEs at Grade 4. Based on this model, our overall performance is as follows:

Within the above there are students who have achieved:

• a wide range of GCSEs- as they were ready to at the time and wanted to aim for this goal
• core GCSEs in English, Maths and Science alongside a range of alternative qualifications – which suited their engagement and/or interest levels
• the minimum required to move to college, such as GCSEs or Functional Skills in Maths and English – because at that moment in time, they found school life to be very challenging

We hope parents/carers who are maybe anxious about their child moving school, particularly midway through Key Stage 4, will draw some confidence that their son or daughter will be able to achieve their potential at Highfields College – be that GCSEs to enter sixth form or a range of vocational qualifications to set them on a path towards a vocational college or apprenticeship.