It is extremely disappointing, and to some extent annoying, that we have been forced to close the school after a small number of pupils were sent to school when they should have been kept at home following the protocol set up by the school. It is difficult to accept 800 pupils having to miss school because of this incident.
However today I want to focus on something more positive and encouraging.
We have now completed the 2020 CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) and the results are excellent. When I arrived at AMS and conducted the first CATs, I had meetings with groups of parents to express my concern at the scores. The scores were nothing like what they should have been for a school following a Cambridge curriculum.
Two years later, after a lot of staff training and restructuring of teaching in the school, the CAT scores are now giving indications of potentially excellent final exam results.
This year (2020) our IGCSE A*-C pass rate was 76% (10% higher than 2019) Indications show that 2021 pass rate could be 90%. This matches any top quality independent school in the UK.
This is a summary of the 2020 CAT results
- All year groups from Y7 – 10 have shown improvement in Literacy and Numeracy scores from 2018 to 2019 and now 2020. The graphs are attached.
- The current Y6 have shown a significant improvement in both Literacy and Numeracy from their Y5 results.
- The current Y5 have scored higher in Literacy and Numeracy than last year’s Y5 classes.
- The average points improvement in Numeracy between 2018 and 2020 is 20.
- The average points improvement in Literacy between 2018 and 2020 is 10 In 20 years of doing these CATs I have only seen one maximum score of 140. 2 pupils in Y10 achieved 140 in Literacy this year.
Of course, the work has to be continued. These scores only show potential. If pupils do not follow the guidance of the teachers, and if teachers do not follow the vision that the school has, then they will not fulfill their potential.
One aspect that we will be introducing this year is English Across the Curriculum. Every subject and every teacher will be delivering parts of lessons in English to ensure the pupils improve in Literacy as they have done in Numeracy.
What I ask is that parents mirror this initiative at home and encourage your children to watch some English TV channels (Disney is excellent to develop young children’s English) and to read books to increase the number of words they know (vocabulary).
I feel confident that we have broken through the hardest barrier to give everyone the opportunity of achieving excellent exam results to give them a choice of national or international universities or whichever career they want.
Covid 19 is obviously a problem but we teach pupils to be independent learners and not dependent on teacher instructions. We have had closures since March but our CAT results in September still show progress. No one likes online lessons but we are equipping our pupils to still progress despite the current situation.
Let’s be positive and be encouraged with our progress,
Mr. George
| CAT Average score of pupils in 2018 2019 2020 | |
| Y10 Maths | Y10 English |
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| Y9 Maths | Y9 English |
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| Y8 Maths | Y8 English |
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| Y7 Maths | Y7 English |
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| Y6 Maths | Y6 English |
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All year groups have shown improvement every year in both Maths and English skills.
This is an excellent set of results showing the value added by our teaching.