Students celebrate GCSE results successes (2020)

Our students who attend our Education and Skills Centres have achieved incredible results despite personal barriers and the challenges of learning during a pandemic.. we are so proud of their hard work and determination.
Those who have to re-sit their GCSE exams in English and maths receive excellent tailored support from our experienced and skilled staff, enabling them to take their important next steps.

Nacro Principal and Director of Education and Skills, Lisa Capper, said:

“Despite the noise in the system, we have seen some very positive outcomes today for young people at Nacro Education and Skills centres and Totton College. The evidence-based approach to maths and English has paid off for some of our post-16 and adult learners who have traditionally struggled with the pressure of examinations.

Many of our students are now well placed to progress to further training, education or employment. They have developed both personally and professionally over this challenging period through their own dedication to their studies and that of our skilled staff, who have stepped up to deliver in what are the most challenging of times. We must now ensure that we create and deliver as many opportunities as possible for our young people.”

Here are a handful of examples of successful results our learners have received today:

Nacro learner, A:

In 2019, A joined the animal care programme with maths GCSE attached to the course. She was very driven towards reaching her goal of enrolling onto a veterinary nurse course.

At the beginning of the maths course she lacked confidence and was hesitant and would avoid participating, however after some days her participation increased massively, with dramatic improvements in her maths-focused confidence. Her attendance to maths lessons was 100% and she would happily support peers during lessons.

A was always focusing on her dream to be a veterinary nurse and we are all pleased she has achieved a grade 4 in maths, well done!

Nacro learner, J:

J moved to England at the age of 9 and began school with no English; this initial language barrier and subsequent lowered confidence meant she often found school work hard.

She started at Nacro in 2018 and began working towards her maths GCSE aiming for a grade 4. In this first year it was clear that her confidence in her abilities were very low and that she had huge gaps in learning where she had missed school. She worked hard and eventually came out with a grade 3.

This academic year J’s confidence has really improved as she has built on previous knowledge and has made great progress. On completion of maths GCSE mock exams in February she was predicted to gain a high grade 4 this summer. We are delighted to say that she did gain a grade 4!

She studied Health and Social Care with us too and since leaving has secured her self a job working with older adults which she is over the moon about. J is an excellent example of how hard work and resilience can pay off.

Nacro learner, L:

L began an Engineering course with us in September 2019. Initially he was fully engaged with the practical and theory elements of the course and his attendance was almost 100%. He was very popular with both his peers and staff.

After a while though, his tutors began to notice a drop in both his enthusiasm for the course especially maths & English and his attendance. Despite all efforts to re-engage him it reached a point where he was hardly attending at all. It eventually became clear that his successful completion of the course was in jeopardy.

His tutor contacted his mum who disclosed that she had become concerned that his behaviour at home had also changed. He had become withdrawn and anxious and was spending most of his time at home in his bedroom. She had become so concerned that she sought help from her GP who referred L to an adolescent mental health specialist where L was diagnosed as suffering with acute anxiety syndrome. He had been too embarrassed to notify his course staff at Nacro about this and had stopped attending as a coping strategy.

With this knowledge the staff team were able to adjust L’s timetable and working environment to support him and help him cope on a day to day basis. As a result of this the work he began to produce along with the improved engagement he displayed enabled him to be predicted and subsequently awarded  a Grade 3 in GCSE maths. Although it is just under the target grade for that subject, is a great achievement for him, given the challenges he has faced and is a positive stepping stone for when he returns to Nacro in September 2020.

Nacro learner, J:

Having achieved a Level 1 award in his Motor Vehicle studies with us, J has progressed to be currently working towards a level 1 certificate. Part of his programme includes GCSE maths for which he has prior evidence of a grade 3.

J suffers with anxiety and prior to this academic year was supported by his mother altering her working hours to transport JB to education. However, during summer 2019 he passed his driving test and is now able to self-transport to Nacro.

With J and his new GCSE maths tutor having a shared interest in a local Premier League football team, this led to early engagement and a developing trust. J clearly has ability in maths but is prone to writing down the first answer that comes to mind rather than showing his workings out and giving problems extra thought. Therefore his focus has been on ‘accuracy over speed’ and improvement has been measured by in-lesson refresher quizzes, formative and summative assessments.    

His independence and positive engagement has resulted in a GCSE grade 4 pass that he was aiming for… congratulations J!

Nacro learner, S:

S has had some difficult personal barriers to overcome, as well as poor metal health, but has never let this get in the way of her learning. S has used her own understanding of each subject to help out other learners and encouraged them to try different approaches which have helped her develop her own reasoning skills.

She is a bright young person who has good underpinning knowledge of both maths and English but needed to bridge the skills gap between a grade 3 and grade 4. S worked tirelessly all year, completing extra revision and extension activities in lessons to develop her skills. S was over the moon to receive her grade 4 today!