‘We’re delighted’ - Blackpool Sixth Form College earns national recognition for outstanding GCSE resit results
“Year on year, these results are a testament to the dedication of our specialist staff and the relentless positivity and hard work of our students.”
The Blackpool Sixth Form College has been recognised in a national report highlighting outstanding performance in GCSE maths and English resits among sixth form colleges in England.
The report, Making the Grade: 10 Recommendations to Help Students Make Progress in GCSE Maths and English Resits, was compiled by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) and officially launched today at the Association’s annual Curriculum Conference at the University of Warwick.
It examines the approaches taken by 11 sixth form colleges across England where post-16 students achieve particularly strong progress in GCSE maths and English.
Students in England who do not achieve at least a grade 4 in GCSE maths and English by the age of 16 are required to continue studying these subjects. However, as the report acknowledges, the policy remains controversial, is often unpopular with students and can present challenges for institutions delivering resit programmes on a large scale.
Despite these challenges, all 11 colleges featured in the report have substantial cohorts of resit students and achieve high GCSE maths and English progress scores. These government measures track the progress students make between the end of Key Stage 4 and the end of their post-16 studies.
Nicola Craven, Principal at The Blackpool Sixth Form College, said: “We are delighted to be featured in the SFCA’s national report highlighting the exceptional progress of our GCSE maths and English resit students. Year on year, these results are a testament to the dedication of our specialist staff and the relentless positivity and hard work of our students at Blackpool Sixth.”
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The Blackpool Sixth Form College recorded a progress score of 0.72 in maths and 0.71 in English, significantly exceeding the national averages of 0.05 and 0.17 respectively.
The report outlines 10 recommendations that schools and colleges can adopt to strengthen their GCSE resit provision. These include prioritising student induction, investing in specialist maths and English teachers, placing greater emphasis on exam technique and providing dedicated one-to-one support.
Its final recommendation highlights the importance of college staff remaining relentlessly positive – a shared characteristic identified across all 11 colleges included in the report.