Many congratulations to the students of 2019 for achieving a very good set of GCSE results. We are delighted that all of them achieved the grades they need to enrol at the sixth form college or school of their choice to do A level or other courses.

 

We are grateful to the teaching staff for the hard work they put in to ensure that students were well prepared for their assessments. Our Attainment 8 score increased in 2019 to 69.8 from 59.3 (subject to Dept of Education verification) and 100% of our students achieved strong passes in English and Maths (up from 83% last year). Most students were entered for the EBacc suite of academic subjects and our average EBacc point score was 6.80, up from 5.93 last year. There were particularly strong performances in English, Maths and Science, with several Grade 9s awarded, including one to a Y10 student who sat the GCSE Maths a year early. (We do note that with a very small cohort of eight students in 2019, percentage figures can lack statistical validity, as one student could account for figures showing a significant increase or decrease over the previous years.)

 

We are pleased that students who chose to add an extra GCSE to the core programme did well in some new subjects that were taken for the first time this year, including Computer Science and Economics. The majority of the class have also successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.

 

We are thankful to God for the excellent work ethic that prevailed in this cohort, who encouraged each other to aim high and achieve their full potential. This was the class that formed the core of the cast and crew for our production of A Man For All Seasons and it is to their great credit that they all performed so well academically, in spite of committing many hours of time to line learning, rehearsals and performances in the term before the GCSE exams.

 

We are very proud of the students’ achievements in all aspects of school life and wish them the very best as they move on to new challenges and opportunities. We gratefully acknowledge the crucial role played by the love and prayers of the parents and the rest of the school community, in supporting the students throughout their time in CFS.

 

Progress against school targets

We measure progress by using the CAT tests taken in Y8 to provide an initial baseline indicator of cognitive abilities and predicted GCSE grades. These predictors are occasionally calibrated using other data relevant to the individual student to give a school minimum expected grade (MEG). Our analysis of progress against school targets shows that 78% of students achieved at or above the levels that would be predicted from their baseline test results overall - the same figure as last year. Using this internal measure, our overall progress score this year was 0.93, compared with 0.40 in 2018. This means that on average students achieved nearly one grade higher than their Minimum Expected Grades in their eight best GCSE subjects.

 

Attainment 8

Our overall attainment score in the eight subjects used to measure performance is expected to be 69.8, compared with last year’s score of 59.3. This is an excellent result and compares very favourably with other good schools in Liverpool.

 

Percentage with English and Maths at standard/strong pass level

The Department for Education has identified that a score of 4 is regarded as a ‘standard pass’ with a score of 5 as a ‘strong pass’. The headline figure that will be cited in the performance tables is the strong pass (Grade 5) scores, although the standard pass measure (Grade 4) may also be shown. Our performance on these measures was 100% with strong passes Maths and English (compared with 83% in 2018). In addition, 100% of students achieved Grade 5 or above in at least five GCSEs, including both English and Maths (compared with 83% last year).  

 

All core Subjects (% with passes at Grade C or at Grade 4/5 or higher)

This year’s cohort had an academically able profile so the percentage of students achieving at Grade 4 or 5 and above is higher overall than the previous year. Again we note that each year’s cohort is numerically small and cohorts can change significantly from year to year in terms of whether they are biased towards academic subjects or towards creative and practical subjects. This makes year on year comparisons less valid than in schools where students numbers are greater and the cohort profiles less variable. The figures marked with an asterisk are based on the percentage of students who entered the exam.  

 

 

Percentage with EBacc

The EBacc is not a qualification for students and we recognise that the EBacc suite of qualifications (two sciences, a modern foreign language and a humanities subject, in addition to English and Maths) may not be suitable for all students. We therefore tailor each student’s learning programme to meet their individual needs, and also ensure that students have opportunities to pursue the creative arts, which we value highly as a school. In 2019, 88% of students achieved passes in the EBacc suite of qualifications, compared with 58% in 2018 and 75% in 2017. Last year, CFS students achieved the highest average point score in non-selective schools in Liverpool for the six core EBacc subjects (English, Maths, two Sciences, a Modern Foreign Language and History/Geography). This year’s cohort has exceeded this by 15%, with students achieving an average score of 6.8 in these core academic subjects. This sets them up well for the next stage of their education.

 

Y10 Religious Studies

We are absolutely delighted with the excellent results that were achieved by the Y10 students who sat their GCSE Religious Studies exam this year. All achieved at least a Grade 6 and more than half achieved a Grade 9. Many of these students had given up most of their Easter holidays to run a holiday club for disadvantaged children in Romania, giving them less time than usual to revise for the exams. Their achievements are a tribute to their positive work ethic and further demonstrate that serving the community is fully compatible with academic excellence.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the rest will be yours as well.”

Click here to view official performance tables www.dfes.gov.uk