We are rather proud of this achievement. There are a lot of great schools in the county, so to be anywhere near top is worth celebration.
I don't think any teacher gets up in the morning inspired to secure a league table place for one group of students, fun though it is to be top for a while. What makes the staff here work so incredibly hard is the feeling that we are helping as many as possible reach their potential. We are in the top 1% of the country for the value we add to ALL students. This means winning awards for the work we do with Pupil Premium students, while 36% of all GCSEs are A or A*. We really do have a case for being one of the highest performing schools in the country.
The students get a lot of credit, and can enjoy their results. The teachers also deserve huge praise for the hours of hard, unglamorous labour that sits behind their terrific teaching. However, I would like to make special mention of the parents of Wallingford School students. They are so supportive of our high expectations and work hard to get their children to be conscientious when even the best of teenagers can be challenging at times. We receive wonderful support from families with children of all abilities and from all backgrounds, which makes our jobs so much easier.
Perhaps one results day there will be a headline celebrating the tremendous achievements of the parents who support a successful school. I doubt it, but it would be deserved. From those of us who are lucky enough to work with your sons and daughters: thank you. We appreciate your children and understand how hard you work to make them such a pleasure to teach, and the results we achieve here possible.
- Mr Willis, Headteacher