For families choosing a secondary school, exam results provide one important measure of the education students receive and the opportunities available to them at the next stage.
This summer, Arbor School’s Year 11 students achieved the school’s strongest GCSE results to date, with significant increases in the proportion of top grades awarded.
Across 283 I/GCSE entries, 23% were awarded the highest possible Grade 9 – more than three times the proportion achieved last year. A total of 41% of grades achieved 9-8, 60% achieved 9-7 and 79% achieved 9-6, while 98% achieved grades 9-4 or equivalent.
Strength across the curriculum
The results included strong performances across STEM, languages, humanities and applied subjects.
In Mathematics, 76% of grades achieved 9-7, while students recorded 100% grades 9-7 in Chemistry, Physics and Further Mathematics. In Computer Science, 86% of grades achieved 9-7.
Languages were another particular strength, with 100% of Spanish grades and 86% of French grades awarded at 9-8.
Psychology students achieved 100% of grades at 9-8, including 78% at Grade 9, while strong results were also recorded across Economics, History, Geography, English Literature, Art, Business and Design Technology.
Arbor’s applied pathways also produced exceptional outcomes, with 100% of BTEC Level 2 Engineering entries achieving Distinction*.
From GCSE to Sixth Form
Behind the headline statistics are individual students making decisions about where their education will take them next.
Ojas Jha achieved seven Grade 9s and two Grade 8s, after completing five of his GCSEs a year early.
He said: “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved at Arbor. I completed five of my GCSEs a year early, and the remaining four this year. I plan to make the same advanced progress in my A Levels at Arbor, aiming to finish some early.”
Fellow student and Arbor Scholar Loki Taumoepeau achieved five Grade 9s, three Grade 8s and a Distinction*.
Loki said: “I’m really happy with my results and am particularly proud of my Grade 9 in French. I look forward to progressing on to Sixth Form at Arbor this year, to study Maths, English Literature and French.”
Their progression reflects the continuity Arbor offers from Secondary into Sixth Form. Students can follow A Level and BTEC pathways, undertake the Extended Project Qualification and receive personalised university and careers guidance through Arbor’s Futures Programme.
Thomas Moriarty, Head of Secondary at Arbor School, said:
“These are exceptional results and a real reflection of the ambition, hard work and commitment of our students and staff.
“Most importantly, these results give our students a fantastic platform for the next stage of their education, and we could not be prouder of them.”
A growing Secondary and Sixth Form
This summer also saw Arbor celebrate the first students to complete their Sixth Form journey.
The school’s inaugural A Level cohort achieved 48% A*-A, 80% A*-B and a 100% pass rate, following a university application cycle in which Arbor’s first graduating cohort received more than 200 university offers across 16 countries and over AED 27.5 million in scholarship offers.
For families considering Arbor, the two sets of results provide a picture of the academic pathway now established across the school’s Secondary and Sixth Form.
Gemma Thornley, Principal of Arbor School, said:
“What makes these results particularly important is that they demonstrate that academic excellence does not have to come at the expense of a broader education.
“Our students achieve highly while also developing a strong ecological and ethical compass and a real sense of their place and responsibility in the world. That balance is fundamental to the education we believe in.”
Arbor’s students follow the National Curriculum for England alongside the school’s distinctive ecoliteracy curriculum, with opportunities spanning STEM, creative arts, sport, projects and real-world learning.
For this year’s Year 11 students, their GCSE results are an achievement in themselves – and the foundation for what comes next.
