PUPILS at Coln House School achieved the best GCSE ‘results we have ever had’ this year, according to one member of staff.

The special school in Fairford, for children aged between nine and 16 with emotional and behavioural difficulties, saw all of its 35 pupils removed by Gloucestershire County Council on July 1, just after exams were sat.

“We had one year 11 student who got six B grades, which included English, Mathematics and Additional Science, and a grade C,” said the member of staff, who did not wish to be named.

“This student did not expect to pass any exams before he came to us. He has achieved the best results ever in Coln House School,” they added.

Two year 10 pupils achieved a grade C in Maths, having been entered early, while 80 per cent of year 10s entered early achieved A*–G.  

What’s more, 100 per cent of students who took Design Technology achieved A* to C and 75 per cent of students who took Art achieved A* to C.
100 per cent of students met or exceeded their target grade in English.

“These represent the best year 11 and year 10 results we have ever had,” said the member of staff, “and are proof that students who are unable to manage in mainstream schools were making excellent academic progress at Coln House.”

All the school’s pupils were removed by the council due to ‘safeguarding concerns’, prior to the publication of an Ofsted report weeks later which deemed the school to not be performing well enough in several areas.

The member of staff said: “The year 10 students have all been forcibly removed from the school in the middle of their GCSE year.

“They are students who often cannot move from one classroom to another without significant disruption because they find change extremely hard.

“Their final GCSE results are bound to be compromised.”