The hard work, determination and resilience of GCSE students at a Romford secondary school has been praised.

Students at St Edward’s Academy are celebrating an impressive set of GCSE results, reflecting years of hard work, determination and resilience.

The class of 2026 has included standout outstanding individual performances and students securing top grades across the board, with highly notable performance in English, maths, science, history, citizenship and Spanish.

This is a year of notably solid overall performance across the broad range of subjects.

School leaders sung the praises of Year 11 pupils who demonstrated significant progress and perseverance. While headline grades often attract attention, the school emphasised that every success story deserves recognition.

Jodie Hassan, Executive Headteacher at St Edward’s Academy, said it was a year of notably solid overall performance across the broad range of subjects.

She said: “We are incredibly proud of our pupils and the dedication they have shown throughout their GCSE courses. These results reflect countless hours of effort, supported by our committed staff and families. We are delighted to see our Year 11 group achieving outcomes that will enable them to progress confidently to the next stage of their education.”

Pupils will now move on to a variety of exciting destinations, including many staying with us at St Edward’s Sixth Form while some will make the transition to college courses and vocational pathways. With many securing the grades needed for their chosen next steps, the future looks bright for the class of 2026.

As celebrations continued throughout the day, the overwhelming message was one of pride. These results represent not only academic achievement but also the perseverance, character and ambition of a cohort that has much to celebrate.

Congratulations to all our Year 11 on a fantastic set of GCSE results and best wishes for the next chapter of an exciting educational journey.

The happiness of today follows on from last week’s impressive A Level results, with so many of our students having secured places at their first-choice universities.  A significant number of our students have progressed to some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and King’s College London.

The achievements of both our Year 11 and 13 learners are a testament not only to their hard work, but also that of our staff and the support of families who have championed them throughout their educational journey.  St Edward’s certainly have much to be proud about. 

An ambitious curriculum, vibrant community and a deep commitment to the personal development of students have all been praised following an Ofsted inspection of St Edward’s Academy.

The school is celebrating after achieving two ‘Strong’ grades under the new Ofsted framework – for attendance and behaviour and also personal development and wellbeing – as part of a hugely positive inspection and report.

Inspectors praised the secondary school and sixth form for fostering a safe and welcoming environment and cultivating a culture where students thrive both academically and socially.

Jodie Hassan, Executive Headteacher of St Edward’s Academy, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the feedback from the Ofsted inspectors, which reflects the hard work, dedication and passion of our entire school community.

“At St Edward’s Academy, we strive to provide an education that empowers our young people to achieve their full potential while shaping them into respectful, confident and articulate individuals.”

Key highlights from the inspection report included the school creating a ‘family’ community for students where students said they felt safe, respected and welcomed.

The curriculum was also described as is broad and ambitious while school leaders had ensured that the curriculum remains ambitious for SEND pupils.

The report praised the school’s leadership and its partnership with the Unity Schools Partnership for creating a robust and effective culture of safeguarding.

Ms Hassan added: “Hearing our students tell inspectors that our school feels like a ‘family’ is the ultimate testament to the inclusive, supportive environment we work so hard to maintain every day. “We look forward to building on this success and continuing to deliver an exceptional education for families across Romford.”

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Please click here to view the full Ofsted report.

An ambitious commitment to sixth form education will see four schools join forces and provide free iPads to all post-16 students.

Under the ‘Unity Sixth’ umbrella, sixth form students at St Edward’s Academy in Romford, Thomas Gainsborough School in Great Cornard, Samuel Ward Academy in Haverhill and Felixstowe School will benefit from a shared curriculum including presentation and lectures given by renowned speakers from business, politics and the arts.

The post-16 arm of Unity Schools Partnership will also offer all sixth form students and teachers an iPad from September 2024, for use at both school and home.

Jodie Hassan, headteacher at St Edward’s Academy, said, “We are incredibly proud to be launching this world class provision for our sixth form students.

“The use of iPads throughout the taught, extra and supra curriculum will ensure our students are upskilled to be future ready. 

“The supra curriculum offer will ensure our young people have access to speakers and resources comparable to any of the top schools in the country. 

“We are extremely grateful to be part of Unity Schools Partnership as our membership has enabled us to access this outstanding provision.”

Stephen Astley, executive director of education at Unity, said: “We are hugely excited to launch Unity Sixth and its supra curriculum from September 2024.

“By the quartet of sixth forms joining forces, we believe we can offer an enhanced and enriched experience for our students as well as the very best of shared resources, teaching skills and assessment models to drive outcomes.” The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Sousa, has enthusiastically committed to help launch these lectures.