newsletter
Exam Special 2018
Delight: There were plenty of happy faces on exam results day
Exam success illustrates new trust benefits THE Cumberland School saw an eight percent jump in GCSE grades – less than one year after joining a high-achieving Newham-based trust. Results in the core subjects of English and science saw a significant spike despite a new, tougher numerical GCSE grading system. Headteacher Gillian Dineen said that standards had improved since joining the Community Schools Trust. In total, 60 percent of students passed maths and English with grades between 9 and 4, equivalent to the old A*-C, up from 52 percent last year. Ms Dineen said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the students. There was
such a buzz at results day this year. Our students are determined and ambitious and for so many of them, today is a very good day. “Joining the Community Schools Trust has made a tremendous difference to both our ambition and capacity at Cumberland. “Working with an incredibly high-achieving trust means that we, as a school, can learn from some exceptional educators as well as sharing ideas and expertise. While our results have improved significantly, we will continue to strive for further improvement. “This is a journey that will take us to be an Outstanding school. The GCSE results this year show that we are well on our way.”
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Improvement ‘no accident’ THE Community School Trust CEO Simon Elliott says improvement in results is just the start for The Cumberland School. He said: “The improvement in GCSE results at The Cumberland School did not happen by accident this year. “It is largely thanks to the hard work of our teachers, staff and students but it is also rooted in the new structures and systems we have put in place at the school. “When I joined Forest Gate Community School as headteacher, it is fair to say we were underperforming in the area of exams. “It was not that the teachers and students were not working hard enough, it was that the right procedures were not in place to help them to thrive. “There is a huge amount of talent in the staff and leadership team at this school. All we have done is focus that in the right direction. “An eight percent rise is a very strong improvement in anyone’s book, but our aim is to be amongst not just the top performing schools in the borough, but the entire country. “That is where Forest Gate Community School is and that is where we are taking The Cumberland School. Be certain of this – I will not rest until we get there.”
GCSE SUCCESS STORIES Interview: Headteacher Ms Dineen on the Channel 5 News
School’s national exposure CUMBERLAND students shared a platform with Schools Minister Nick Gibb when they featured on Channel 5 News on GCSE results day in August. On the programme, headteacher Ms Dineen discussed the new numerical grading system, while our students were also asked about their exam results during the broadcast.
Vitoria was tuned in to achieve top grades in exams
TV star: Vitoria picked up English from television shows
STUDENT Vitoria Mario, who achieved top GCSE results after arriving in the country only two years ago, revealed she learnt English by watching television shows on Netflix. Vitoria barely spoke English when she arrived in the country in 2016 from Portugal after moving in with her aunt and uncle. On GCSE results day, she was delighted to learn that she had achieved grade 8 in English literature and language, and 9 in maths and Spanish. She also scored a 7 in religious studies, and an A in media studies, which included an A* for her written coursework that she submitted as part of her final project. Vitoria admits she spent hours watching crime dramas on Netflix
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alongside light-hearted reality show Britain Has Talent. But she says that it helped her understand the English language much quicker, joking: “It helped me pass my exams!” “I watched a lot of Netflix to help me understand English more. “It was really hard at first but I was determined to learn the language properly and pass my exams. “When I started school, I also found some fellow Portuguese speakers who helped me. “The school has a great department for students who come here unable to speak English. It really helped, as well as watching Britain’s Got Talent.” The elated student says she called her mum in Portugal after opening her results. She said: “My mum really wanted me to have a better education over here. When I spoke to her she was so happy for me.” Vitoria will now study maths, further maths and physics at Brampton Manor Academy, in East Ham. The story was covered in national newspapers The Sun and The Times. Copies of the story can be seen on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
GCSE SUCCESS STORIES
Donatas racks up nines and is ready for A-Levels Donatas Jacinavicius scored top grades in all his subjects at GCSE – making him one of the school’s best performers. Donatas achieved grade 9s, the equivalent of A*, in biology, physics, geography, mathematics, and religious studies, with 8s – the same as an A* – in chemistry, English language and English literature. He will now study maths, further maths, physics, and computer science at A-Level and has set his sights on doing programming at university. He says receiving intensive support from teachers helped to make the difference to his exam results. He added: “There is a very different culture at this school than in previous years. There is a real sense that you are expected to do well. “Yes, they do push you more but I think that is one of the main reasons I have done so well. There was nowhere to hide in those last few months before exams. “You had to work really hard and get your work done because they expected that of you. I can’t wait now to start my A-Levels. “To get where I want to be in life you have to do well at school. I have learnt that this year and it has made me determined.”
Great effort: Donatas with his results
Green for go as Stella cuts the caffeine
Ecstatic: Stella Adebona (right) with her friend Rosa Da Costa Silvia
STUDENT Stella Adebona says giving up caffeine to get an early night helped her achieve her target grades. Stella says switching from regular tea to green tea helped her get a good night’s sleep so she was fresh for school and revision. She says she decided to make the change in January after failing her mock exams due to bouts of insomnia. And on results day it was clear the new bedtime routine had paid dividends after she scored 9s, 8s and 7s in all her exams. Her results mean she can now study English literature, government and politics and psychology at St Angela’s Ursuline School in Forest Gate. She said: “I couldn’t sleep at all whilst doing my mocks and it really affected me. I got really bad marks because I could barely write, I was so tired. But I want to study those subjects at A-Level so I needed to sort it out. I started being really strict with myself by drinking green tea every night. “And I always stopped revising at 9pm so I could go to bed after an hour relaxing. And it worked! I’m so happy it all paid off.” Her father Adetokunbo said: “We are so proud of her. She has broken every family record with her results. She was stressed because she didn’t get good marks in her mocks so started drinking green tea. It made a real difference for her. “Everyone read her story in the newspaper. It is a very proud day for us.”
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HEADTEACHER’S COMMENT
Results show new structures are already having a positive effect
Emotional: One Cumberland student calling home to share news of her exam success.
Our headteacher Gillian Dineen (left) says the school is entering an exciting phase after exam success... Community Schools Trust and Forest Gate School has allowed us to use our resources more effectively and introduce structures that are already having a positive impact for our students and staff. Working closely with Simon Elliott, CEO of the Trust, we have ensured that we are fully staffed this September with colleagues who share our ambition and determination for all of our students and the community we serve. We look forward to welcoming all of our staff and students to start the day positively with a free breakfast. I am very proud to be Cumberland’s Headteacher and am very much looking forward to continuing to work with the CST to become an outstanding school and the first-choice school for our community.
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The Cumberland School is a ‘determined and ambitious’ school and the exam results for this year show clearly that determination and ambition pay off. Our staff and our students worked incredibly hard to achieve our best results yet and we achieved a significant increase in all of the key attainment measures. The percentage of students gaining a standard pass in both English and maths went up a huge 8% and those achieving a good pass improved by an amazing 11%. Results in English improved significantly this year with 58% of our students gaining a grade 5 or higher in their English GCSE. The percentage of students gaining five or more 7-9 grades (A*/A grades) rose to 12%, more than doubling. All of this means many more of our students getting places at their chosen colleges, beginning the next exciting phase of their lives in a positive way. The Cumberland School is on a journey to outstanding and working with the
High flier: Ali Shifa scored 9s in biology, chemistry, physics, English literature, English language and history, making her one of our best-performing students. Shifa has gone on to study A-Levels at LAE – referred to as the ‘Eton of East London’.
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