Everest Community Academy head refuses to speak about poor GCSE results (From Andover Advertiser)
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Everest Community Academy head refuses to speak about poor GCSE results
1:30pm Saturday 2nd February 2013 in Basingstoke By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter
Everest Community Academy principal Julie Rose
THE principal of a Basingstoke academy has refused to speak to The Gazette about what went wrong for last year’s GCSE students.
In August last year, Julie Rose refused to disclose the results for pupils at Everest Community Academy, saying she had been advised not to by the Academies Enterprise Trust which runs the school. This was because of the national row about the way English papers were marked.
Last week, the league table results revealed that just 34 per cent of pupils at the school, in Oxford Way, Popley, passed at least five GCSEs between A* and C, including English and maths – making it one of the five worst-performing schools in Hampshire.
Everest is one of 195 schools in the country not to reach the Government benchmark of 40 per cent, and is now classed as ‘failing’ by the Department for Education.
In 2010, the school was one of the worst in the country for its performance in the GCSE exams, when just 17 per cent of pupils gained five A* to C grades, including English and maths.
At the time, Ms Rose promised parents that converting to an academy would raise standards. The following year results rose to 39 per cent, but they have now gone backwards again.
When The Gazette tried to contact Ms Rose this week, she declined to comment and we were referred to the Academies Enterprise Trust.
Mike Barnett, from the Academies Enterprise Trust, claimed the low 2012 GCSE overall result was because of the English marking controversy.
He added: “Everest’s published GCSE results do not do justice to their best-ever marks in mathematics and science. Like many other schools, students who sat English in the summer were not given scores which truly reflected their ability.
“We are committed to making Everest a high-achieving academy and will continue to give them our maximum support to make this a reality at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Comments(12)
JacquesMeahof
says...
7:07pm Sat 2 Feb 13
Poor management, secretive management, dismissive management, the list is long - but the fact that the head is still employed beggars belief.
In education they say that you get promoted to the level of your own incompetence, I believe the head of Everest just got found out.
Popley deserves better.
popleyrebel2
says...
3:31pm Sun 3 Feb 13
JacquesMeahof
says...
11:11pm Sun 3 Feb 13
She did a grand job if she was advising Brighton Hill and Perins.
RgPostcode
says...
9:27am Mon 4 Feb 13
They had too offer 80 less places a couple of years ago from 260 to 180 and yet they still fail to reach that.
radders19
says...
6:39pm Mon 4 Feb 13
He added: “Everest’s published GCSE results do not do justice to their best-ever marks in mathematics and science. Like many other schools, students who sat English in the summer were not given scores which truly reflected their ability.
Surely if it affected other schools, then they were all much, much lower then expected as well. If the results were so good in Maths and science, publish them to back this claim up. I presume this is the case, and not a smoke screen to cover someone's incompetence.
Over to the Gazette to ask the questions.
popleyrebel2
says...
8:00pm Mon 4 Feb 13
I agree, if the marks in mathematics and science were the "best ever" then publish them, that way Everest would gain some credibility.
However, does “best ever” take you over the line in to the winner’s enclosure??
Sam_Walker123456
says...
12:58pm Tue 5 Feb 13
In 2011 the National Average (NA) for English C+ was 68% and Everest achieved 41%, while in 2012 the figures were 69% and 35% respectively. So nationally pupils did better despite the English fiasco but Everest did far worse.
The school did improve it's performance in Maths C+ from 52% to 62% but the NA also improved from 64% to 72%.
So, in my opinion, to use the English marking issues as an excuse is a smoke screen.
popleyrebel2
says...
3:20pm Tue 5 Feb 13
As always your % and figures widen the debate, that said, do you agree that stating “best ever” is not good enough when defending your poor GCSE results without publishing the % and figures.
So much was promised when Everest moved to academy status and now it’s a failing school and I strongly believe there needs to be serious changes.
Sam_Walker123456
says...
5:23pm Tue 5 Feb 13
All schools have to publish their results in almost identical formats - so facts and figures for Maths and English are there for all to see on their website but Science disappears into all the other results. But the school will not have lied about their pupils record year for this subject.
In my opinion the school is failing to deliver its promises and the English marking fiasco is a poor excuse for the low overall attainment - the NA for English improved!!
popleyrebel2
says...
8:57pm Tue 5 Feb 13
The secrecy and the well being of the students have always been a major concern, (not just to me but many others). YES the school has failed the students, that said, it will always fail until there are major changes. The record will show, Everest is a failing school and that reflects badly on the students and the community, I have stated many times, Popley deserves better.
Buster Preciation
says...
1:39pm Fri 8 Feb 13
Is no one allowed to suggest that the reason why the SCHOOL is underperforming are exactly the same now as before they knocked it down and rebuilt it at great expense and then gave it a fancy rebranding?
Cynical Reader says...
6:33pm Sat 2 Feb 13
It is not an inner city school, with high unemployment and sub-standard housing.
So what is wrong??