"As we launch into the rhythm of the new school year, I always take a breath to pause, reflect and celebrate, the successes of last year"
Elma Lawson, Director of Education, shares why, in the bustle of the first week of the year, she believes it is key to pause and reflect in order to understand where we are and to know where we want to get to.
Through Anthem’s education strategy, we have created a ‘laser-like’ focus on ensuring the best possible outcomes are achievable for our students, and we have been able to see the impact of this through the outcomes achieved in this past academic year with improvements made across every key stage.
Developing reading and literacy is key for our students and I’m delighted to be able to see successes from foundation stage upwards, such as the 100% pass for the Key Stage one phonics assessment at Benjamin Adlard Primary School, alongside validations from inspections at Boston West Academy; “Reading is prioritised in the school…..Staff teach phonics expertly”, and Saint Marks Academy; “Dynamic and tenacious leadership of reading… Diagnostic, targeted and appropriate.” Ofsted June 24.
In Key Stage two assessments, we have seen an increase in the proportion of children reaching the expected standard (combined) to 64%, with six of our schools achieving outcomes that are significantly above national. We look forward to seeing our strategy impact on all 10 of our schools with Y6 students this academic year.
Our mission at Anthem is to improve the life chances of our students by maximising their potential, so I was delighted to hear so many positive stories about our GCSE and A- Level students. Highlights included 92% of A Levels awarded at St Mark’s Academy were A *- C, significantly above the national average of 75%, and 37% of their students gaining an A*or A. The school also saw significant improvements in their GCSE results, with the percentage of students achieving a Grade 4 or above and Grade 5 or above in English and Maths being 67% and 48% respectively. These figures now exceed the national average and have increased by 9 percentage points at Grade 4 and above and by 13 percentage points at Grade 5 and above since 2023.
At Oxford Spires Academy, 70% of students passed both mathematics and English GCSE, with 53% of students passing both English and mathematics scoring at least a grade 5. These exceptional achievements across our schools will open doors to life changing opportunities for Anthem students. We are also delighted that The Deepings School has made significant improvements in outcomes for G4 and above in both English and Maths and are excited to see the rapid improvements this school will make this year.
Reflecting helps us to build momentum and continue to strive for excellence. This year we will continue to enable collective capacity and expertise from across our sixteen diverse schools, a horizontal approach to school improvement allowing us to plan and implement effective school practice that will leverage the collective capacity of Anthem. We will build on our commitment to providing high-quality education, for every student, in every lesson, all the time.