Achievement

We believe that the achievement of young people in secondary school is much more than their examination results. With the help of parents and families, we hope above all to help the children who join us to leave as well-adjusted and confident young adults.

Academic success is, however, still important. Examination results for the academy have improved steadily over the last few years and are now significantly higher than the Island’s results average. We continue to have high expectations and focus on where we know that we can still do even better.

The charts on the following page give a summary of our recent examination results. We have also included further information on subject performance for those who would like this detail.

• Achievement at GCSE is significantly above the Isle of Wight average, above the national average and continues to improve year on year.

• Our focus is not just on achieving a pass at GCSE – many students gain top grades and we challenge students of all abilities to gain the best grades possible.

• The progress that students make across 8 subjects is also improving significantly year on year across all pupil groups and now above the national average.

• The performance of students in the sixth form is strong with many students achieving top grades at A-Level.

• With the guidance and support of our experienced team of sixth-form tutors, in 2019 all of the students who wanted to go to university gained places, with most going to their first choice institution. University destinations include Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

We set ambitious targets for all our students so that they can achieve their best. We have rigorous tracking systems so we can spot when students fall behind and intervene to support them, as well as provide parents with good quality information about progress. This includes the use of online systems for communication; all homework is listed online and parents’ consultation appointments are booked via our online system. We are committed to our focus on teaching and learning so that teachers have a wide range of strategies to help students make good progress in each lesson every day.

Examination Results

The proportion of students gaining A*–C grades, now grades 9-4, in English and Maths is above the national average and was 68% in 2019. The trends for the key measure of Progress 8 is shown below.

A-Level Results

Almost a third of A-Level entries were graded A*–A in 2019, and 42% of entries achieved A*–B. 12% of the entries gained the top A* grade, with 9 students in the cohort achieving all A*–A grades. The average grade for all academic qualifications was a C+, a significant increase again on the previous year’s results.

Outstanding performances were seen in English, Maths and science – traditionally strong subjects for the school. Cowes also achieved real success in its vocational subjects, with the average applied general result jumping from Merit to Distinction+.

Subject Results 2019

“ Congratulations to all the pupils and staff at Cowes Enterprise College and the wider team at Ormiston Academies Trust, on such an impressive set of results.

“ A-Level results day marks the moment so many young people will make choices that can shape the rest of their lives, so whatever path they choose, every pupil at Cowes Enterprise College should do so full of confidence.”

Schools Minister, Lord Agnew