An inner-city school has been declared the best performing grammar school in Birmingham and Walsall for A Level progress.
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, which is the oldest surviving selective school in the Second City, was also the only grammar school in Birmingham and Walsall to be classed as ‘Above Average’ for progress.
National ‘A Level progress’ data released by the DfE last week – based on the results achieved by last year’s Year 13 students – showed King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School achieved a Level 3 Value Added Score of +0.13.
This is the highest progress score achieved by any grammar school in Birmingham and Walsall, with the next highest +0.01.
A positive Level 3 Value Added score for a school essentially means that students at that school made more progress than students of a similar ability nationally at A Level.
Headteacher Tim Johnson said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of our students. Their success is testament to their hard work and determination and the exceptional support and expertise of their teachers who have supported them through their studies.”
The A Level results achieved by the school were the best the school has ever achieved:
- An impressive42% of all grades were A or A*, 67% were A-B, and 88% were A*-C.
- Six students achieved straight A* grades, and 36 students received all A*-A grades—over a third of the year group.
Mr Johnson added: “We are very fortunate to have extremely supportive parents who have encouraged, motivated and guided their children every step of the way.
“This strong partnership between students, staff and families is at the heart of our success, and we look forward to seeing our students thrive as they move on to the next exciting stage of their journeys.”
Founded in 1862, the school, in Grove Lane, Handsworth, attracts pupils from Birmingham and its surrounding areas, and was rated as Outstanding for quality of education and personal development in its latest Ofsted review.
Part of the Grammar Schools in Birmingham, the King Edward VI Foundation and the King Edward VI Academy Trust, the school accepts boys from age 11 to 16 as well as boys and girls at Sixth Form level.
Further success
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School is also the only grammar school in Birmingham and Walsall to be considered to have made ‘Above Average’ progress with their Year 13 students last year.
The achievements of last year’s Year 13s is even more impressive considering they also made ‘Above Average’ progress at GCSE two years earlier and it is considered to be more challenging to achieve a positive progress score at A Level when students perform so well at GCSE.
- 65% of all GCSE grades achieved by students at HGS were Grade 7 or above, and 44% were Grade 8 or above.
- Two-thirds of students achieved a Grade 7 or above in both Maths and English.
- The average Attainment 8 score was 71.8, equivalent to every pupil attaining at least eight Grade 7s.
- In total, 27 students attained five or more Grade 9s, and one-fifth of all grades awarded to this year’s Year 11 cohort were Grade 9s.
HGS is the oldest surviving selective school in Birmingham, with a long and rich history, but at the same time is forward looking, using solid foundations to be prepared for the future.
The school was originally funded by the tolls paid by travellers who crossed a bridge in Perry Barr, Birmingham. The bridge remains a part of the school’s badge to this day.
For more on King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, click here.
To visit the King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys website, click here.
Clarification: We have been asked to clarify that King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School is the overall top-performing sixth form for A-level progress in comparison to other grammar schools.