The new performance tables, published on 12 October 2017, confirm that pupils at Cirencester Deer Park School make above average progress and 70% of our pupils achieved 5 or more A*-C including English and Maths (9-4) this summer. This remains in line with Ofsted’s observation that ‘overall pupils make more academic progress than they do in the majority of schools nationally’ (May 2017).

We were delighted to share the outcomes with our Class of 2017 on 24 August 2017 when they came up to the school to collect their results, but we had no idea how their results compared to other schools locally and nationally.

We are really pleased that outcomes in the new 9-1 GCSEs in English and Maths were so strong for our candidates and in comparison to other comprehensive schools. 5% of our cohort attained the highest grade, 9, in Maths and all 10 of these pupils have confidently progressed onto A level courses in the STEM subjects at Cirencester College, or in school-based 6th forms.

We are equally committed to ensuring that our ‘Class of 2018’ are prepared for the new 9-1 GCSEs in their other subjects too. We continue to hold high expectations. This year’s Year 11 have already achieved superb outcomes in their Religious Studies and Statistics GCSEs, taken a year early:

I am especially grateful to our teachers who have consistently modelled tremendous resilience at a time of considerable curriculum change and remained positive about what our young people can achieve. This can-do ethos underpins our vision: we aim to instil, nurture and grow positive mind sets. This, complemented by a rich and diverse programme of enrichment activities, ensures that our pupils are well-equipped for the world beyond the school and are able to face future learning challenges with confidence.

Chiquita Henson, Headteacher

We challenge everyone in our school to achieve more than they first think is possible and provide the support and scaffolding to enable them to do so. We are not complacent: we are committed to raising standards across all groups of pupils and our teachers are actively engaged in using research to further develop their practice.

While co-leading a ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative in collaboration with the Local Authority and The Education Endowment Foundation, Liz Lang, Deputy Head, is able to network, bring back and implement effective strategies.

"We are seeking to grow and embed a culture of research-based practice in the classroom, for the benefit of pupils.  By examining existing research such as work around memory for learning, effective feedback and metacognition, we can optimise the learning climate for pupils helping them to learn well and achieve their very best.  Working with other colleagues across Gloucestershire, along with the expertise from the Education Endowment Foundation (Teacher Toolkit), enables us to hone our practice to ensure we give pupils the best possible experience and opportunities to learn well in the classroom." Mrs Lang, Deputy Head

Our Chair of Governors, Graham Russell, who wrote earlier this year about Deer Park being a leading comprehensive school in Gloucestershire, comments "On behalf of the governors, I would like to acknowledge the commitment of the school’s leadership team and all school staff and thank them for the additional steps they take to ensure pupils at Deer Park are able to make progress and achieve well."