Shaftesbury School celebrates GCSE success

Students and staff at Shaftesbury School are celebrating a range of successes following the publication of this year’s GCSE results, with improvements in key areas alongside some exceptional individual and subject achievements.

There was success in English, where 71.3% of students achieved a grade 4 or above – a significant increase on last year. More than half of students achieved a strong pass at grade 5 or above in English.

The school also saw an improvement in the proportion of students securing a standard pass in both English and Maths.

Within a relatively small Year 11 cohort of 128 students, pupils secured 89 grades at 7–9, including 13 grade 9s – the highest grade available at GCSE. Those top grade 9s were achieved across an impressive breadth of the curriculum, including Fine Art, Drama, English, Film Studies, Mathematics, PE, Design & Technology and Religious Education.

Our Drama students achieved a particularly impressive set of top-end results, with five grade 9s. Fine Art, History, Spanish and Religious Education students made particularly strong progress against their individual target grades.

Headteacher Stephanie Bowen said “There is a great deal within this year’s results for us to celebrate, and I am extremely proud of what our students have achieved. We are particularly pleased with the significant improvement in English this year, with more than seven in ten students securing a standard pass, alongside an increase in the proportion of students achieving a standard pass in both English and Mathematics. 

It is also fantastic to see the breadth of high achievement across our curriculum. To see grade 9s awarded across eight different subject areas – from English and Mathematics to Drama, Fine Art, Film Studies, PE, Design & Technology and Religious Education – reflects the many different strengths and talents within this year group. It also proves just how important it is to offer a broad curriculum. Studying subjects you enjoy helps reinforce that feeling of belonging and allows our young people to thrive. We have to remember that results day is about much more than headline figures. Every result represents an individual young person and their own journey. Many of our students have had challenges to overcome along the way this year, and today is an opportunity to recognise their determination, resilience and hard work. Knowing you have been the best you can be and have done the best you can do is more important than anything.

I would like to thank our staff, who have worked incredibly hard to support this year group over the coming year, and our students’ families for their patience. Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We are very proud and wish every student the very best as they take their next steps into sixth form, college, apprenticeships and beyond.”

The school’s 2026 results also saw an improvement in its overall Attainment 8 score.