Our students achieve much more than just academic success at Helsby High School. Some students achieve highly in sport or the Arts, some take on challenging leadership roles and some support others in close and lasting friendships, these are all achievements worthy of celebration.
We are lucky to also be able to celebrate the excellent academic successes of our students.
Year 11 2023 Headline data
Despite all the challenges our students have had to confront over their time in secondary school, which included ‘lockdown’ learning at home during their Years 8 and 9, all of the students’ resilience, adaptability and hard work was rewarded with richly-deserved success as they discovered their grades and made their plans for the next stage of their lives.
Success was spread across both students and subjects. Over 90% of the school’s Year 11 cohort achieved 9 or more GCSE qualifications and over three-quarters achieved a grade 4 or above in English and in Mathematics. 65% of all students achieved a GCSE qualification in the ‘English Baccalaureate’ suite of subjects: English, Maths, Science, a Modern Foreign Language and one of the Humanities subjects, Geography or History.
Headteacher Martin Hill commented: “We are so proud of our Year 11 students and their achievements. They have been a pleasure to work with over the last 5 years and we now wish them all the very best for the future as they move on to their exciting futures.”
Year Leader Mathew Lawless, who led the year group through their GCSE years at the school, said: “This group of students deserve all the success they have achieved as they have worked with such determination and perseverance, supporting each other every step of the way during their time at school. We now look forward to continuing to work with this fabulous group of young people in our Sixth Form.”
Students achieved across the 30+ courses offered as part of a Key Stage 4 curriculum at the school which continues to have a strong core curriculum and provides a wide variety of option subjects, enabling students to pursue their own interests through their course choices. Amongst many students who should feel very proud of their achievements are Ella Carter, Megan Cottrell, Sophie Emison, Amelie Jones, Lola O’Brien and Erin Watson, who all achieved top grades in every single one of their subjects.
Year 13 2023 Headline data
As a result of all their hard work over the last two years on their Sixth Form courses, students were rewarded with well-deserved success and have been able to progress on to the next stage of their lives, whether it be university courses, apprenticeships or directly into employment.
Director of Sixth Form, Tor Cross commented: “We are so proud of how our students have supported each other during their time in the Sixth Form, especially as this summer was the first time that this cohort sat formal examinations. They should be proud of their achievements and I am delighted that the overwhelming majority have been able to move on to their preferred destination as a result of the grades they have received today. I know that all of their teachers would want to join me in wishing each and every one of them all the very best for the future.”
Headteacher, Martin Hill said: “As a cohort our Year 13 students have done particularly well this year, meeting their challenging targets and making fantastic progress. For nearly half of all grades to be at Grade B or above is an excellent achievement, especially for a state school Sixth Form. The students fully deserve their success and we wish them well as they now move on from our Sixth Form to their chosen destinations.”
In recent years Helsby High School’s Sixth Form has consistently been one of the highest-performing Sixth Forms in the area and this high level of performance has certainly continued in 2023, with students achieving impressively across the full range of over 30 A-Level and Vocational Qualification courses on offer. Amongst many very impressive individual performances were Freya Pattwell, Ben Shingler, Gemma Smith and Laura Watson, who all achieved A*/A grades across all of their Sixth Form courses. Freya is going to Durham University to study English Literature, Ben and Gemma are going on to study Business courses at the University of Bath and the University of Huddersfield respectively and Laura will be going on to an Accountancy Degree-Level Apprenticeship in Chester.
