Students at Northern Education Trust Walbottle Academy, one of 17 secondary academies sponsored by the trust, have achieved their best ever GCSE results. An amazing 72% of students overall achieved a pass in English and maths, demonstrating an improvement of 12% on last year’s results and significantly above the national average.

There were some outstanding individual successes:

• Alfred: six grade 9s, two grade 8s and one grade 7.
• Lewis: six grade 9s, one grade 8, one grade 7, level 2 distinction.
• Alex: six grade 9s and three grade 7s.
• Diana: six grade 9s and three grade 7s.
• Josh: five grade 9s, two grade 8s and two grade 7s.
• Maissalrem: five grade 9s, three grade 8s and one grade 7.
• Baarin: five grade 9s , two grade 8s and one grade 7.

Richard Harrison, Principal of Walbottle Academy thanked the students and staff, saying: “The commitment of students and staff has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are outcomes focused and these outstanding results have significantly improved the life chances of the students in our care. The students have worked extremely hard to achieve at this level, with some students having overcome significant barriers to do so. I’d like to thank the staff for their continued passion for ensuring our students succeed – these results are testament to their energy and enthusiasm for helping our students achieve the very best from their education. My thanks also go to the parents, carers, academy council members and the trust board for their continued support – our students and staff couldn’t succeed without their help. We look forward to seeing many of our students return in September, after successfully meeting the entry requirements to our outstanding Sixth Form.”

Adam Palmer, Associate Senior Executive Principal of Walbottle Academy added his praise, saying: “I’m incredibly proud of the students and staff at Walbottle Academy for these exceptional results. They are a testament to the hard work, resilience, and determination shown day in and day out. It’s clear that a strong culture of ambition and support is firmly embedded in the academy. These achievements will genuinely change lives and open doors for the young people in our care. My sincere thanks go to the staff, families, and wider academy community who have played such a vital role in this success.”

Jane Wilson, Chief Executive of Northern Education Trust, said: “These results reflect the hard work and commitment of the staff and students within the academy. The year-on-year improvement demonstrates the ongoing quality of education provided by the academy, and the exceptional desire of the students to succeed. We aim to enhance the life chances of the children and young people in our care, and these results are the culmination of their incredible efforts and dedication, allowing them to progress to the next stage of their lives with confidence in their abilities to succeed. We are extremely proud of our students and wish them every success with their futures.”