This year’s cohort achieved the highest average grades at GCSE than ever before at the City of London Academy in Bermondsey, writes Lilian Mulholland…
Now some students at City of London Academy Southwark off Lynton Road are even setting their sights on Oxford and Cambridge universities.
The academy attributes some of this success at GCSE to the support offered by an Oxbridge pathway designed for its most ambitious pupils. Students on this pathway are offered additional support from Year 9 and specific routes to application in sixth form. From September, this will include a new Classics Pathway.
Student Charlie achieved eight Grade 9s and was supported by the Oxbridge Pathway. He credited a supportive atmosphere at the academy for his success – “our classrooms become like a community”.
Charlie was one of many students to excel in Latin GCSE at the academy, with 80% of his class achieving Grade 9s. The academy is one of few non-selective state secondary schools in the country to offer GCSE and soon A-Level Latin as an option to pupils.
He also credited the Oxbridge pathway for his success and hopes to study Classics at Cambridge later down the line.
The City of London Academy Southwark is one of 11 academies managed by the City of London Academies Trust. Six of these academies have been rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Principal Mr Baxter praised students’ resilience against the disruption to the start of their secondary education caused by the pandemic.
He said: “This cohort was affected more than most by the pandemic. For them, there were no SATs or adventure weeks at the end of primary school and certainly no ‘normal’ transition to secondary school.
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“To finish Year 11 with such fantastic grades is a testament to their hard work and determination.”
Among the students highlighted for their success were:
- Ieva Beliauskaite – 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 D**
- Rania Chanane – 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8
- Rodrigo Roxo – 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8
- Kelly Tu – 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8
- Charlie Thurlow – 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 6
- Simon Akinpelu – 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8
