Heanor Gate Spencer Academy: Post 16 Examination results 2022
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy’s students have lots to celebrate today, with its top grades surpassing those achieved in 2019’s last set of real exams in all benchmarks. This is despite this week’s national headlines focusing on this year’s grading changes and ‘shortage of university places’.
Mr Jones, Senior Vice Principal, has a message for our students and everyone connected with the academy:
‘I want to celebrate the amazing achievements of our young people here at Heanor Gate Spencer Academy after the incredibly tough two years they have worked through, rather than focusing on the noise around exam fairness that has been in the national news this week. Their collective results are testament to their amazing attitudes, their resilience and their tenacity.
I think it would be remiss of me to mention individuals as success can be measured in a multitude of ways, but what I will say is that every single Heanor Gate Post 16 student should be immensely proud of themselves. Statistics aside, the most important thing with any results day is that our young people secure the grades they need to move onto their intended destinations, whether that be university, apprenticeships or employment. I am confident that with the grades achieved today, every one of our young people will be able to move on to their chosen pathway in September. I would like to finish by publicly thanking all of the amazing staff at our academy that have worked tirelessly to prepare our students for today. The relentless commitment during various lockdowns, the compassion shown in difficult circumstances and their diligence to give all students every opportunity possible is something I am extremely proud of. Congratulations once again to all of our students, you are uniquely amazing and we are proud of all of you. ‘
This group of students were the first cohort to sit formal examinations since the summer of 2019 and were also the first group of students denied the opportunity to sit their GCSE examinations back in 2020 in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. They have had to study for both sets of qualifications throughout various national restrictions, had to engage with a blended package of online and on site provision, and have had to deal with the government’s necessary attempts to bring back some stability to the national grading system.
56% of this year’s grades have been awarded in the A*-B category, a remarkable rise of 14%, and every single one of Heanor Gate Spencer’s students passed their courses. Students studying applied or more vocational subjects have done exceptionally well, with the number achieving the very top grades (Distinction*-Distinction) reaching 85%, not only beating Heanor’s results from 2019 by 30%, but also surpassing the 2019 national figures by over 50%.
