Woolston Brook School

There was also further improvement in GCSE attainment. 37.5% of the 2026 Year 11 cohort achieved at least one GCSE at grade 4 or above, compared with 27.3% in 2025 and 25% in 2024. Our pupils achieved some excellent individual GCSE results, including grades as high as 9 in Art, 8 in English Language and 7 in English Literature, alongside strong results in Maths, Science and other subjects.

At Woolston Brook, we recognise that our pupils have very different starting points, strengths and needs. For this reason, success cannot be measured by GCSE results alone.

Across the 2026 Year 11 cohort, pupils gained 96 qualifications, an average of six qualifications per pupil. These included GCSEs alongside Entry Level and Functional Skills qualifications and a wide range of vocational and employability accreditation.

Our young people achieved qualifications across areas including English, Maths, Science, Art, History, Computing and Creative iMedia, together with vocational areas such as Carpentry and Joinery, Motor Vehicle Studies, Hair and Beauty and Employability.

This breadth is important. Our aim is for every pupil to leave Woolston Brook with a meaningful portfolio of qualifications that reflects their individual abilities and interests and helps them progress successfully into further education, training, apprenticeships or employment.

We are also really pleased that examination success was not limited to our Year 11 pupils.

Pupils in Years 9 and 10 achieved Entry Level qualifications during 2025/26, including successes in English and Science. In addition, one of our Year 10 pupils achieved GCSE Maths at grade 4, a particularly impressive achievement a year ahead of the usual examination point.

These results support our plans to give pupils opportunities to gain appropriate accreditation earlier in their school journey. From Year 9, pupils will increasingly have opportunities to work towards Entry Level qualifications in core subjects, providing a secure foundation from which they can progress to Functional Skills and GCSE qualifications. Foundation subject accreditation will follow from Year 10 once pupils have made their option choices.

Importantly, Entry Level accreditation is not a ceiling on what pupils can achieve. It provides an opportunity to recognise success, build confidence and secure qualifications while pupils continue progressing towards the highest level appropriate for them.

These achievements are particularly significant when considered alongside the barriers that some of our young people have faced in accessing education consistently.

For some pupils, success has involved returning to learning after significant periods of disengagement; for others, it has meant accessing education through our Outreach Team or off-site provision. For others still, it has meant overcoming considerable anxiety around learning and examinations.

That is why every qualification matters.

We are incredibly proud not only of the grades and certificates our pupils have achieved, but also of the determination, resilience and personal progress behind them.

Our results also give us a clear focus for the future. We want to maintain 100% accreditation in Maths, ensure that every pupil also leaves with nationally recognised English accreditation, and continue increasing the level of qualifications achieved wherever this is appropriate for the individual young person.

Most importantly, we want the qualifications our pupils achieve to open doors to successful next steps and future opportunities.

A huge congratulations to all of our pupils. We would also like to thank our staff, families, alternative provision partners and everyone who has supported our young people throughout the year.

We are enormously proud of what they have achieved.