Record-breaking year for turnaround academy

The principal of a Wisbech academy has praised staff and students after a record-breaking year for exam results illustrating a huge turnaround of fortunes.

Thomas Clarkson Academy students who received both A Level and GCSE results this month have been at the heart of a culture of change driven by Richard Scott and his team, who saw the results of hard work over recent years.

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The exams illustrate the rising standards with a 100 per cent pass rate for A Levels, the highest ever attainment for GCSEs in the school’s history and more than 20 per cent of Year 13 leavers are heading to prestigious Russell Group Universities.

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, resulting in lockdowns and learning from home, the school has continued to improve.

“I am very proud of our academy and the enormous efforts made by our students, staff and the wider community over the last four years,” said Mr Scott.

“I am in awe of the ever-greater aspirations of our students and this can be seen in the manner they apply themselves to their studies and the next steps they choose to follow, whether it is college, apprenticeships or university,” he added.

“I am privileged to work alongside such wonderful people.

Students leaving for university are studying the widest range of degrees, including theoretical physics, law, psychology and astrophysics.

The academy has had mixed results in the past, and Ofsted reports remained at ‘requires improvement’ until a new inspection upgraded every aspect of the report to Good in 2020. 

“We are determined to build on this success, and we are in fact only at the beginning of the journey in transforming education in Wisbech,” said Mr Scott.

The Ofsted report highlighted the ‘substantial improvements to the quality of education for pupils,’ and said there was an ‘ambitious’ curriculum to help students move on successfully to the next stage of their education.

“The school is well led. The dedication of leaders and governors to the school, the pupils and the local community is impressive,” added the report.

Mr Scott said that despite the challenges of the last four years, the changes at the academy were now clear for everyone to see.