Exam Results

We are very pleased to share with you news of some excellent GCSE results for our class of 2023. I would like to congratulate all our pupils and their teachers on their efforts and achievements.

It should be remembered that, this year, examination boards reverted to stricter grade boundaries based on the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, so we were doubly delighted that not only did our GCSE pass rates (grades 4-9 inclusive) increase significantly to 86%, (compared to 74% in 2019 and 73% in 2022), but we also saw an increase in the percentage of top grades (grades 7-9 inclusive) awarded to our pupils at 18%.

On a subject level, it is congratulations to Art, Craft and Design, Photography, Biology, Chemistry, Food Preparation and Nutrition, Spanish, French, Further Mathematics and Sports Studies, who all achieved 100% pass rates. 

Importantly, results in Mathematics, English and Science all comfortably outperformed the national average in terms of pass rates. In Mathematics, our pass rate (grade 4 and above) of 75% exceeded the national average of 61%, whist our English pass rate of 86% was well above the national average of 65%.

I am also delighted to report some excellent individual results, with Mustafa, Robert, and Mohid all securing 9 GCSE passes – with Mohid achieving 3 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s in his results. A number of other pupils, Dylan, Charlie B, India, Mark, Jess and Luca S gained 8 passes, whilst Will, Jack, Barney, Chak, Andreas, Callum, Ella and Erin all obtained 7 passes.

In terms of top grades, i.e. grade 7 and above, which equate to the old A and A* grades, Erin scored 2 grade 9s, 2 8s and 3 7s, whilst Jack returned 7 passes at grade 7. Mohid achieved 6 grades at 7 or above, Chak 5 and Mark 4.

Unlike some other independent schools, at Hulme Hall we are not an academically selective school as such, and we cater for children with a wide range of academic abilities. Therefore, simply looking at raw results doesn’t necessarily provide an accurate picture of an individual child’s achievements. For example, achieving a grade 4 or 5 may actually be a very good result for a child if that result exceeds their predicted or expected grade.

For that reason, we also look closely at our Value Added data for each individual pupil. Every one of our pupils completes a baseline assessment in years 7 and 10 (CAT4), which provides us with a prediction of what that child might be expected to achieve in each GCSE subject. As a school, we aim, through the use of small class sizes, high quality teaching and individually tailored support, to help that child achieve beyond their baseline targets. In other words, we try to “add value” for that child.

I am very pleased to report that this year our GCSE pupils, on average, were able to score a full grade (+1) better per subject than was predicted by the baseline data collected at the start of their Hulme Hall careers.  That is very encouraging, especially as the examination boards reverted to those tighter pre-pandemic grading levels.

Encouragingly, all subjects were able to add value for their pupils, with pupils in Geography, Food and Nutrition, Computer Science, History and English Language performing especially well in relation to their baseline targets.

Congratulations once again to our Class of 2023 and good luck as you embark on the next stage of your educational journey.