An Islington secondary school is celebrating one of the strongest sets of sixth form results in its history, reaching the top 10 out of over 4,000 schools nationally.
New figures show Islington Collegiate Sixth Form, sponsored by the City of London Corporation, ranks eighth out of 4,354 schools in England, making it the third highest performing state school in the country, well above prestigious fee-paying schools such as Eton and Harrow.
Despite serving a community where almost 60% of pupils are eligible for free school meals – more than double the national average – those from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved exceptional results, outperforming their peers nationally.
The results are backed up by impressive university offers, with 42 out of 43 students receiving at least one offer from prestigious Russell Group institutions. Almost 60% of students who interviewed for Oxbridge have received an offer so far, with three students being offered full bursaries for their university education due to academic excellence.
The City of London Corporation sponsors 12 high-performing academies across Hackney, Islington, Newham, Lambeth and Southwark through the City of London Academies Trust.
They form part of the City Corporation’s family of schools, which also include one state primary school in the Square Mile and three independent schools.
City of London Academy Highgate Hill principal Prince Gennuh said:
“These results are a testament to the dedication, resilience and ambition of our students, and the unwavering support of our staff and families. We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved.
“These successes reflect more than academic outcomes. Our students support one another, contribute to school life, and take up the opportunities available to them, helping to create a culture where everyone can thrive.
“Our sixth form is a welcoming and ambitious community, and these results show what is possible when young people are challenged, encouraged and supported. We congratulate them and wish them continued success in their next stage.”
The new Department for Education A level progress figures show students at the sixth form make substantially more academic progress than their peers nationally, compared with students across England who achieved similar GCSE results.
Meanwhile, the Department for Education performance tables showed City of London Academies Trust is ranked first nationally for A-level points score for disadvantaged pupils.
City of London Academy Trust Chair Steve Goodman said:
“Everyone at Highgate Hill can be justifiably proud of these results, which are testament to the high ambitions and the high quality teaching the school delivers for all its students.
“The results for disadvantaged students are even more remarkable, demonstrating that background is no barrier to students achieving success in their career and in life generally.
“The high A-level performance across our academies is proof of our commitment to operating in areas of need, uplifting and empowering young people across London.”
Highgate Hill sixth form has an A-level progress score of +0.77, or +0.88 among disadvantaged students, with 0 representing the average progress made. A score of +1.0 means students progress on average by a full grade more than their peers nationally.
