Head’s News 6 Sept 2019 – Verulam School

Examination Success

I would like to congratulate students on their success in GCSE and A-Level examinations this summer. Verulam pupils surpassed their targets this year and achieved a predicted Progress 8 score of + 0.238 meaning that on average they achieved nearly half a grade higher than boys nationally in 2018. (Boys national Progress 8 Score 2018 -0.25).

John Tromans, Head of Year 11, congratulated all the boys on their impressive results and was particularly pleased with strong results in a wide range of subjects. “I am delighted with our haul of 67 Level 9 grades:

“These really show how hard our boys have worked.”

Head of English, Phyllis Avery, was delighted by Year 10 pupils who sat their GCSE English Literature examination a year early and achieved an 88% pass rate at level 4 or above and with a third of pupils achieving the highest 7 to 9 grades. A number of pupils’ performance was particularly impressive as they achieved a grade 3 or 4 levels higher than their targets. A–Level results were positive with 40% of grades at A/ B level which enabled pupils to gain prestigious University places and apprenticeships. 83% of the Year group moved onto University study with over 40% of places at top universities. Other students are pursuing apprenticeships, travelling abroad and training as a journalist and a pilot!

New Staff

I would like to introduce the following staff who have joined the school:

Mr Emsley joins us as Assistant Headteacher responsible for intervention at Key Stage 4 and 5 Ms Cazorla-Montilla to teach Modern Foreign Languages
Mr Forsyth joins the Art Department to teach Art and Photography
Mr Giles joins Social Sciences to teach Psychology Ms Parker Teacher of Drama
Ms Reid Teacher of Geography
Ms Moreland joins us to train to teach Mathematics Ms Clark joins the SEN department as a Learning Support Assistant
Mr Mack and Mr Springate join as Cover Supervisors Ms Mills-Pullen as a Behaviour Officer.

My Child At School App

This year we are launching the MCAS app which will make it easier to access information about your son or daughter’s life at school via your phone. I have attached a document to this newsletter explaining log in information for parents.

Traffic Congestion and Road Safety

I would be very grateful if parents could avoid collecting or dropping off students on either Brampton or Jennings Road as the resulting congestion is dangerous to students, has the potential to cause