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(Left to right) Louise Day (Bexleyheath), Emma Wiszk (Erith), Katie Gadsby (Erith),back row Craig Neil (Bexleyheath), Jade Barnes (Welling).
Nearly 1,000 ‘A’ level students in Bexley picked up their results yesterday (18 August) and the figures gathered so far show that the borough’s young people are working harder than ever, exceeding the national average for A-E pass marks.
Although the figures are not yet complete Bexley can boast a 96.7% pass mark at A-E grade. The points required for entrance into higher education are also up on last year’s and initial indications show that the average mark for the borough is higher than in previous years.
The number of young people that have stayed on at school to complete ‘A’ levels is also higher than ever.
Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Trevor Perrin was among the first to extend his congratulations to the students. He says: “I am pleased that more young people than ever are staying on at school to continue their education. The rise in numbers is a reflection of the improving standard in education and teaching in Bexley’s schools. These young people should be proud of their successes. I wish them all the very best for the future.”
As usual there were a number of success stories from across the borough.
- Townley Grammar school achieved 100% at A-C grade. Twenty-one students at Townley achieved three or more ‘A’ levels at A grade. Headteacher Linda Hutchinson is delighted with the results which she says show the hard work and commitment of students and their teachers, plus the support of parents.
- Bexley’s Partnership Sixth, with students from Welling, Bexleyheath and Erith schools, is pleased with its collective results. Only in its second year, the partnership has already improved on last year’s performance.
- St Catherine’s RC School for Girls also excelled with 58% of students receiving high level passes of A-C grades.
- Erith, Welling and Cleeve Park Schools are just three schools that have exceeded past years results. All three school results have risen to over 50% in A-C grades. Erith School’s Deputy Headteacher, Julie Turner says: “These are excellent young people who, with their teachers, have worked very hard to acheive this success.”
The provisional figures for ‘A’ level results across the borough will be available on the Council’s website.
Post ‘A’ level advice for students is available from the Department for Education and Skills website at www.dfes.gov.uk
Survey results, announced in a report by the Zoological Society of London, reveal that dolphins, porpoises and seals are frequent visitors to the River Thames and its estuary. Since launching the survey in July 2004, ZSL has received 103 sightings by the public, totalling 197 animals.
Porpoises were spotted off Vauxhall Bridge, whilst common seals have been regular visitors to the waters around Canary Wharf, the Thames Barrier and have also been seen by commuters using Tower Bridge. Dolphins were reported swimming near Southend in Essex just inside the mouth of the river.
Seals were the most frequent marine mammals that were spotted with 46 common seals, 30 grey and 41 un-identified seal species being sighted.
Harbour porpoises (62 individuals sighted) were found to venture further up the estuary and the indications are that they remain in and around the estuary all year round. The dolphins (18 individuals sighted) were only reported around the mouth of the estuary during spring and summer, suggesting that they are seasonal visitors.
Riverside pub patrons, commuters and river users have all been involved in gathering the essential survey information about these more unexpected Thames species.
With the announcement of the survey’s first year’s results, ZSL is making a fresh appeal to the public to continue to keep an eye open for these animals and to contact ZSL with any sightings they may have.
Renata Kowalik, ZSL’s Conservation Biologist and co-author of the report said:
“We have been really pleased with the response from the public and the survey was a great success. The results confirm that marine mammals are frequent visitors to the Thames and have helped us to fill a gap in the current knowledge about the wildlife in the Thames.”
“As the survey continues, the results will be fed into biodiversity managements plans for the Thames,” continued Kowalik. “We hope that even more people will get involved this year and contact us with any sightings they have made.”
Another survey commissioned by the Zoological Society of London revealed that 83 per cent of people in London and the South East thought that shopping trolleys were the objects most likely to be found in the River Thames
Anyone wishing to take part can download a sightings form from ZSL’s website, www.zsl.org
The Business Academy Bexley GCSE results exceed Fischer Family Trust’s predictions by 50%.
The Business Academy Bexley has maintained its position in the top 25 per cent of similar schools for value added between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This is as a result of students’ performance at GCSE.
This year’s GCSE results show an average achievement over the last three years of marginally less than 30% of 5 A* - C GCSE passes.
The Business Academy Bexley has significantly exceeded the predictions of the Fischer Family Trust in all measures including five or more GCSE passes at A* - C and five or more at A* - G. These predictions of future achievement are based upon pupils’ prior attainment in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 tests. The data generated by the Fischer Family Trust is part of the national target setting process for schools.
The Business Academy Bexley has achieved its best ever Key Stage 3 results.
The Chair of Governors Tim Garnham says, “We are pleased with this year’s results. They clearly show that we are succeeding in transforming the lives of children who for years, in our predecessor school, had little hope of achieving higher level GSCE passes, low aspirations of progressing to further education or a vocation, and were confronted with drugs, graffiti, violence, bullying and other anti-social behaviour that made that school a “no-go” area and one of the worst educational establishments for violence and dysfunctional behaviour in the country. With an annual averaged increase in GCSE 5 A* - C passes of marginally less than 30% over the three years of the Academy’s existence we take pride in having achieved one of the most marked “value added” improvements recorded in the history of British Education. Our best ever Key Stage 3 results give us optimism that our long term strategy will yield even better results as the Academy ripens to maturity.”
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