Hard work during lockdown pays off with GCSE success for students with special educational needs and disabilities

Students at Ashcroft School and Inscape House School, both part of the Together Trust, are today receiving confirmation that their hard work has paid off with a set of fantastic results.

Alongside GCSE qualifications, a number of students have also completed BTEC studies, Duke of Edinburgh Awards and Functional Skills qualifications.

For students at Ashcroft School, the Covid situation brought with it a massive reduction in available time in the school and whilst some students continued to attend to finish coursework; for the majority there was huge disruption to their studies. Despite this however, 100% of Ashcroft students put forward for GCSE, BTEC or equivalent qualifications are today receiving pass grades, with an impressive number of pupils achieving Functional Skills qualifications in English and Maths; building on previous years’ success.

Rehan Tran, phase leader for exams at Ashcroft School said: “Whilst the lockdown measures have reduced the face to face contact we have been able to have with students, we have continued to support both their studies and their mental wellbeing through other methods of contact. Every student has put in such hard work and today we are seeing the reward of these efforts with amazing GCSE results. Everyone was determined to ensure that these difficult times would not stop them achieving what they set out to.”

Staff at Ashcroft have worked hard to ensure that students with special educational needs are not left behind due to restrictions on education during lockdown with an ‘Access Group’ programme set up to begin in September. This programme, working in partnership with local authorities will allow students who are moving onto college the chance to attend sessions at Ashcroft in between their further studies to learn aspects of English, Maths and other core subjects which may have been missed during the Covid lockdown period.

At Inscape House School, it is equally positive news today with all students put forward for GCSE’s receiving pass grades. The number of students put forward for GCSE’s has been reduced this year to enable additional time in school with a number of students now set to take their exams next year. Whilst the current healthcare crisis could have derailed a number of students studies in specialist education environments, Inscape students and staff have not let it phase them, and are today reaping the rewards. This coming a week on from Inscape receiving a fantastic set of A Level results with students from the school receiving A’s and B’s in a number of subjects; propelling them into university places and further study opportunities. 

Jill Sheldrake, Service Director at the Together Trust said: “Every year, students at Inscape and Ashcroft show that hard work, dedication and determination can help you achieve your goals and set you up for your next stage in life. For students with special educational needs, these strange and uncertain times have challenged their resolve and created yet more barriers in a world where a great deal already exist; we are incredibly proud of all their achievements and overcoming these barriers. We would also like to acknowledge the hardwork and creativity of all the teaching staff at our schools and colleges who have risen to these challenges to ensure that our students were not disadvantaged at such an important stage of their education journey.”