HOLMLEIGH PARK “A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCHOOL” AFTER RECORD GCSE AND A LEVEL RESULTS

Students, staff and parents at Holmleigh Park High School have been celebrating this summer, after its A Level and GCSE results showed massive improvements since 2019 – with the percentage of A* to B grades at A Level quadrupling since 2019.

The school was relaunched as Holmleigh Park High School in 2019 after the formerly named Beaufort Cooperative Academy joined the Greenshaw Learning Trust. Holmleigh Park High School has made huge strides since, with extremely high standards of behaviour, a new curriculum, and a rich extracurricular offer – but owing to COVID-19, this summer was the first opportunity for students to sit exams. “It’s a completely different school now,” says Headteacher Patrick Farmbrough, “and we’re all thrilled that Year 11 and 13 have achieved results which reflect the incredibly hard work they have put in throughout their studies.”

At A Level, the percentage of A* to B grades has gone from 15% in 2019 to 62% meaning students were over four times more likely to receive an A*-B, and placing the school within a few percentage points of some of Gloucester’s top independent and grammar schools. These results have opened doors to incredibly exciting careers for students, with their next steps ranging from studying Medicine at Exeter University to starting a degree apprenticeship in aerospace engineering with GE Aviation. GCSE Results also saw a dramatic improvement. The percentage of grades at 9-4 (previously A*-C) have increased from 47% in 2019 to 72% this year, while the average grade has risen from a 3.4 to a 4.5 – one of the biggest increases in the country.

But results are not the only thing which have drastically improved. The school has really been focusing on extra-curricular provision this year. In March, the school launched its own RAF Cadet Squadron, which has given students the opportunity to fly. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is available at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, and this summer will see students tackling a jungle expedition in Borneo! With a large waiting list in Year 7, it’s clear that Holmleigh Park has made huge strides forward in the last three years, but Headteacher Patrick Farmbrough believes the best is still to come. Commenting on what the results mean to the school, he concluded: “I am hugely proud of all the staff and students at Holmleigh Park. These results are a testament to how much the school has transformed in the last three years, and we couldn’t have done it without the support and hard work of our staff, students, and parents and carers. But this doesn’t mean we’ll be congratulating ourselves – we’ll be pushing ourselves to continue to keep improving every single year, and I’m very excited for our students’ futures!”