Results

Record Results for A Level Students at St Philip Howard Sixth Form

Year 13 students at SPH have again excelled themselves in this year’s A-Level examinations. Over 80% of all exams sat were graded as an A*-C and 25% were graded as an A*-A. This cohort of A Level students have experienced unprecedented times in their educational journey. Despite national grade boundaries being set at a very high threshold, the results achieved by this SPH cohort even surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

David Carter, Executive Headteacher commented:

“Today we have seen the successful culmination of seven years of hard work, dedication, and high standards. Our staff, students, governors and parents have worked tirelessly as a community to support each other, ensuring everyone has continued to learn and be cared for. Whist we celebrate these results, we congratulate every single one of our Year 13’s as individuals. They have demonstrated considerable resilience and most importantly have grown to be kind, caring and confident individuals. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Students achieved well at all levels, with a remarkable 10 individuals achieving a full set of A or A* grades. These included Thomas Owen, Jakub Pac, James Caldow, Michela Bell, Rhea England, India Cleall, Cerys Dickinson, Thomas Fisher, Alec Hedger, Lily Yeoman, who all achieved A*-A grades in at least three A Levels they sat.

Students are now eagerly taking up their places at University, Apprenticeship training and Colleges across the UK. Ben Chambers has accepted his place to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, Rhea England to Nottingham to study Law, Thomas Fisher to Kings to study Computer Science, Alec Hedger will be studying Chemical Engineering at UCL, Thomas Owen Engineering at Oxford. Ella Hughes and Ethan Gillett have both accepted their places on Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship courses. Jakub Pac continues to peruse his passion for Computer Science in a Degree Apprenticeship.

Nesta McNeil, Head of Sixth Form at SPH, said “It has been my privilege to observe the growth of this Year 13 cohort over the past two years. They have shown resilience, maturity and, above all, compassion and kindness. They have embraced every opportunity offered to them with enthusiasm. They have been presented with a lot of challenges, accepted them and excelled in overcoming them. We look forward to following the progress of this cohort as well as seeing them at future alumni events. The Sixth Form at SPH continues to grow from strength to strength and I would like to thank the staff and parents who support the Sixth Form Team in ensuring every Sixth Former thrives and receives the best possible education.”

Tim Hulse, who will be Headteacher from September, reflected on the results achieved by students:

“Visitors to SPH often comment about the special community that we have and the role our students play in that. We are immensely proud of all our students, but today, especially, our Sixth Form students who play such an important part in our school. They are role models both academically and pastorally, with today’s outstanding exam results and over £9000 raised for charity this year, they truly have excelled! There is no doubt that our students enter the next phase of their lives, qualified, ambitious, and happy young adults, ready to take on their next adventures. We wish them well but remind them they are always welcome back home, here at SPH.”

The Sixth Form at SPH is open to all students in the local area, regardless of whether they have previously studied at SPH or not. For students wishing to join the SPH Sixth Form, they should go to the website www.sphsixthform.co.uk, email nmcneil@sphcs.co.uk or come to SPH on either Thursday, 24th August or Monday, 4th September.

Jubilation for GCSE students at SPH!

There were huge smiles and tears of joy for students (and sometimes parents and staff!) at St Philip Howard School in Barnham after opening their GCSE results today. Despite the more challenging grade boundaries set nationally, the talented and hard-working students at the school have done themselves proud. Over a quarter of all grades were at highest level, Grades 9-7, and 85% Grades 9-4. 88% of students achieved a Grade 9-4 in English and 82% in Maths, the two subjects which open up so many opportunities beyond GCSE. Seven departments achieved an impressive 100% of 9-4 grades which is a tremendous achievement!

Schools are often measured on the percentage of children achieving 5 GCSEs or more including the facilitating subjects of English and Maths. Students at SPH did themselves proud with over half achieving at least 5 grades at a Grade 5 or above, including English and Maths and 76% at a Grade 4 and above.

The hard work, effort and achievement of each individual can never be measured purely on the number of top grades gained however the school gave a particular commendation to the large number of students who got at least 8 GCSEs at a grade 9-7. Oliver Bonner, Jerome Brackley, Tilly Brook, Bianca Caracciolo, Samuel Chen, Isabella Cyrulik, Eduardo De Almeida, Freya Goldsmith, Abigail Guppy, Lewis Jones, Sinead Jones, Ethan Lecuyer, Ruby Lewry, Mikolaj Marytczak, Daniel Petrus, Teagan Shanahan, Eloise Stevens, Titus Thomas, Abigail Tipper, Salome Vonk. SPH has been focusing on narrowing the gap between boys and girls and this year’s results have shown boys to be performing more in-line with their female peers.

Government measures place a real emphasis on the progress that students make whilst at school and this is an indication of how well a school supports all students regardless of their starting point. These measures show that students at SPH are finishing their GCSEs better off than they would have done compared to the national average and is a testament to the quality of teaching they receive, placing the school in the top 15% nationally.

David Carter, Executive Headteacher, commented, “Congratulations to all of our wonderful students. They have been the most delightful of cohorts and deserve every success in the future. We are proud of them for not just their results but also for the people they have become. Whilst important, their GCSE grades will never determine their future success and happiness, this comes down to their character, determination, hard work and moral fortitude. They get top marks from us on all these fronts!”

Tim Hulse, incoming Headteacher in September said, “We are so proud of our Year 11 students, not just for the recent success in their exams, but for the last five years and how they have risen to the challenges along the way. They finish Year 11 kind, considerate and well-educated young adults ready for the next steps in their lives. We look forward to welcoming the vast majority of our students and many from other schools, into our Sixth Form on Tuesday 5th September. The Sixth Form is a special place within SPH, where students are allowed to flourish and develop into the best version of themselves, I am genuinely excited for what this community will achieve!”

Anyone wishing to attend or enquire about the Sixth Form are welcome to contact the school or Head of Sixth Form, Mrs McNeil (nmcneil@sphcs.co.uk) with enrolment on Tuesday 5th September 2023 or online through the website.