The Michaela School’s first GCSE results – A vindication of our values

In the movies, people drop their drinks when they’re caught in a moment of sheer, dumb surprise. I didn’t think it happened in real life, until today. Looking at the figures for our school’s first GCSE results, my grip loosened on my Americano. Amid splatters of medium roast, waves of emotion flowed through me: pride, joy, relief. 

But mostly shock. I knew we were going to do well, but this well? I teared up. It’s hard not to become invested when you work at Michaela. The time we spend interacting with pupils and the relationships we build are second to none. We have a connection to pupils, whom we may never have taught, such that when they opened their results today and felt the pride of their labour, saw their own bright futures lighting up, we could not help but cry with them. This was the pupils’ celebration, which we were lucky enough to share with them. But this was also Michaela’s vindication.

I joined late. The story, and battles, of Michaela Community School began years ago, beyond the five years we’ve been open, back to when Katharine Birbalsingh and the other founders struggled to find a local authority that would even allow such a school as ours to exist. In the old days, the naysayers protested outside, shouted at our pupils, some attempted break-ins. In time, they retreated to Twitter, where the bitterness continued. They hated our no-excuses behaviour policy, our knowledge-based curriculum, our insistence on didactic teaching. Today, for what seems the first time, silence has fallen in their camp. Because what can they now say? Here are some of the stand-out statistics from today’s results:

(Grades have changed in the past few years. 4 is considered a standard pass, 7 is roughly an A, 8 an A*, 9 above an A*)

– 91% Maths 9-4, 90% English 9-4, 85% 9-4 in both

– 54% of all exams were grades 7-9, versus the national average of 20.8%

– 18% graded as 9, versus the national average of 4.5%

– Subject highlights: 99% 9-4 MFL, 98% RE, 93% 9-4 Double Science, 100% 8+ Triple Science, 86% EBacc Entry, 

– Estimated Progress 8 approximately 1.5

– Nearly 1 in 4 got a 9 in Maths

– Nearly 1 in 3 got a 9 in RE

And this is from a non-selective school in a tough, disadvantaged part of inner-city London. Let’s break down exactly what these results mean for our pupils.

Some would argue that the most-able – say, the top quartile – don’t benefit as much from the Michaela system as others. They would certainly pass their GCSEs at other schools, but it is hard to argue they would reach the same heights as have been witnessed today. Nor should we forget the discipline in revision imbibed early on that will pay even greater dividends as they continue into their A-Levels. Their sights are now more firmly set on Russell Group universities.

But it is true that this is not where we have been most transformational. 54% of exams achieved 7-9, meaning many median-ability pupils achieved grades on the high-end, that they may have only dreamed of before. And our low-ability went above and beyond predictions. These pupils might have left with a slew of 1s and 2s, as has been seen so many time before, had they not attended Michaela.

Another common retort is, “examinations aren’t everything”. I entirely agree. As I look at pupils opening their results, pupils who were once terrors (and would still be so elsewhere) and the transformation could not be starker. Yes, they feel the pride they have earned through years of work, but there is humility, an appreciation for the community that enabled them to achieve all of this: “Miss, these can’t be real!”, “Thank you Ms Birbalsingh. Thank you to all the teachers.” When a pupil realised she had got straight 9s (straight 9s!) in every subject, others immediately surrounded her and congratulated. No jealousy, just community.

No doubt, there were difficult patches: hours of homework, constant high expectations. But looking back, the necessity is obvious. They will have opportunities available to them that simply were not there for their parents – indeed, perhaps not there for family and friends at other schools. This is social mobility at work. This is what changing lives looks like.

So many today have honoured us with their congratulations for our pupils and our school, from parents, to teachers, to politicians. We hope today will contribute further evidence to the free schools debate. The Michaela Method works. We and our supporters have known this for some time. To everyone else, it is now indisputable.