The ability to read, write and communicate with confidence opens doors, shapes futures and gives every child the chance to be heard.

Quite simply, it is a fundamental entitlement of education in our country.

But this is set against a national background where the number of pupils who are struggling with literacy is increasing, while the complexity of children’s needs also grows.

While we know that excellent practice exists throughout schools, we also recognise that too many pupils still face challenges in becoming the confident readers, writers and speakers that they deserve to be.

For this reason, Unity Schools Partnership is delighted to be hosting secondary, primary and special schools from across the East of England as well as some fantastic national voices at our forthcoming Literacy for All conference.

The event on Wednesday 22nd April will bring together a community of education professionals united by a powerful and shared commitment – that every young person, regardless of background or barrier, gets the support they need in literacy.

Backed by some of the most prominent voices in literacy education and including a number of insightful and collaborative sessions, the event will enable all attendees to challenge and to strengthen their collective understanding of what it truly means to deliver literacy for all.

We are very proud to have so many of our Unity colleagues contributing to the ‘In Action’ slots, sharing the great work that we know goes on in our classrooms and inspiring teachers and leaders to think about how they can support every learner to thrive in every lesson.

The aim is to ensure attendees leave with ideas that will ripple outward into classrooms, schools and communities, and create actions for teachers to put in place for their pupils.

The event will extend beyond professional learning. It is part of a wider movement to ensure that every child’s voice matters and every child’s potential I s recognised.

This conference is open to all schools in the East of England and we are delighted to be welcoming more than 120 people to Adastral Park for the event.

Any proceeds from the conference will be donated to the Teach Us Too charity to continue their amazing work campaigning for literacy education for all pupils, including those with the most complex needs.

The Literacy for All conference takes place on Wednesday 22nd April at Adastral Park in Ipswich.

By Lauren Meadows, Curriculum Director, Unity Schools Partnership

Formal consultation on capacity expansion from 750 to 900 students.

Introduction

This document initiates a formal consultation regarding the proposed rebuild and expansion of Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill. The purpose of this consultation is to inform local stakeholders, parents, and relevant authorities of a proposed increase in the capacity of the new school building, and to invite feedback on the proposal. This aims to accommodate future needs in line with Local Authority pupil forecasts and ensure the Academy remains fit for purpose in the coming years.

Background

Castle Manor Academy currently accommodates up to 750 students. In response to anticipated demographic changes and to future-proof the school, it is proposed to increase the building’s overall capacity to 900 students. This expansion is designed to support the local community and maintain high educational standards.

Details of Proposed Capacity Change

The proposed building capacity change involves expanding the school’s infrastructure to support up to 900 students, representing a potential increase of 150 places. This initiative is informed by recent Local Authority pupil forecasts, which highlight a sustained rise in demand for school places across the Haverhill area in future years. It is also pertinent to note the closure of the Park Road middle school site some years ago, when pupils transferred to Castle Manor Academy. At that time, the school absorbed the additional students with minimal alterations to the existing facilities, which placed pressure on resources and space. The current expansion proposal aims to ensure that the Academy is properly equipped to meet future demand, maintaining both accessibility and the quality of education for all students.

Building Specifications

The expansion will include the provision of specialist classrooms, designed to support a broad and balanced curriculum. All building works will adhere strictly to the Department for Education (DfE) standards and regulations, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and best practice in educational provision. Specialist facilities will be constructed to accommodate modern teaching methods and the diverse needs of students.

Alignment with Local Authority Forecasts

The proposal is informed by robust pupil projections provided by the Local Authority. Increasing the school building’s capacity will future-proof Castle Manor Academy, enabling it to respond effectively to anticipated future increases in student numbers. This approach supports the long-term sustainability of the school and the wider educational landscape in Haverhill.

Published Admission Number (PAN)

It is important to note that we are not proposing a change at this point to the school’s Published Admission Number (PAN), which will remain unchanged at 150 students per year group. The PAN determines the maximum number of students admitted to each year group and is distinctly different from the capacity of the school.  The increase in capacity is intended solely to accommodate future growth and ensure adequate provision for all students.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

The proposed works and operational changes will be carried out in accordance with all relevant Department for Education’s standards and regulations. The school will ensure full legal compliance throughout the expansion process, including adherence to health and safety, accessibility, and safeguarding requirements. All statutory obligations will be met to guarantee a safe and supportive environment for students and staff.

Consultation Process

Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on this proposal during the consultation period. Comments, suggestions, and challenges may be submitted via the following channels:

• Email: consultation@castlemanor.org.uk.
• Post: Attn. CMA Consultation, Unity Schools Partnership, Homefield Road, Haverhill, CB9 8QP.

All responses must be submitted by Thursday 30th April 2026. Every submission will be carefully reviewed and considered prior to any final decision. If you wish to challenge any aspect of the proposal, please clearly state your grounds and supporting evidence in your submission. Following the consultation, a final statement will be confirmed to the Department for Education by 15/05/2026.

Conclusion

In summary, the proposed expansion of Castle Manor Academy’s buildings from 750 to accommodate up to 900 students aims to ensure the school remains responsive to meet future demand, without immediately altering the Published Admission Number. We encourage all stakeholders to participate in this consultation and share their views. The outcome of this process will inform the next steps and final decision regarding the capacity increase.

Children deserve school buildings that are welcoming, safe, fit for purpose and which support their learning.

Unity Schools Partnership’s investment in building projects is a testament to our belief that great environments create great learning. As these initiatives progress, we remain dedicated to setting new standards in sustainability, wellbeing and educational excellence – ensuring that every pupil and staff member benefits from the best possible facilities.

Transformative building projects enhance learning, sustainability and staff wellbeing. These projects have been achieved against a backdrop of tight capital funding budgets, underscoring Unity’s commitment to prioritising investment in learning environments despite financial constraints.

Some of our LED and solar initiatives have benefited from dedicated grant funding from the Department for Education, helping to make these sustainability measures possible and maximising their impact across our schools in Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and Ipswich.

Below are some of the many examples of our commitment to providing great environments to support our young people and staff members as much as possible.

These developments mark an exciting chapter for our schools, underscoring our commitment to nurturing future generations in a forward-thinking environment.

Fostering a love of reading: Unity has invested in new libraries to support literacy. Features have included modern furnishings, a wide selection of books and spaces for both group and individual reading. These facilities are popular with pupils and staff, promoting lifelong learning. Ditton Lodge in Newmarket is one school to have recently benefitted from this initiative.

Enhanced learning environments: We have upgraded classrooms and learning spaces with better acoustics, climate control, ergonomic furniture and enhanced technology to create comfortable, safe and engaging settings for pupils and staff.

Supporting staff wellbeing through improved facilities: Unity is committed to staff wellbeing, refurbishing staff rooms with better seating, kitchen areas and quiet spaces for rest and collaboration. These improvements help create a positive working environment and support excellent teaching.

Prioritising sustainability: We have invested in energy-efficient LED lighting and solar panels across many of our sites, lowering energy use and reducing our carbon footprint. These initiatives deliver long-term savings and reflect our commitment to environmental responsibility, echoing the priorities voiced by our Trust Student Council.

Looking ahead: Alongside our ambitious projects, we remain focused on essential maintenance, including roof repairs, toilet upgrades and safeguarding measures. This year, roof replacements are planned for Coupals, Kedington, Tollgate and Wickhambrook primaries, with boundary fencing upgrades at both Steeple Bumpstead Primary School and Newmarket Academy.

School building projects are about much more than just fresh paint and new bricks. They can be transformative and a sign of our commitment to young people, staff and all the communities we serve.

By Debbie Willson, Director of Operations, Unity Schools Partnership

Imagine a child’s education as a rising brick wall. Each ‘brick’ represents a different element of their growth – from traditional subjects to enrichment activities, oracy skills to social development.

But a wall is only as strong as its foundation. We liken the bottom row of our wall to early educational skills like phonics and early numeracy. If these bricks are missing or crumbly, the rows laid on top will always be unstable.

Then there are the holes in the wall. When a child misses school or struggles with a concept that goes unaddressed, it leaves a physical hole. As the wall gets higher, these gaps make the entire structure lean.

Mortar is what holds everything together. It represents a child’s ability to connect new lessons to their real-life experiences. Without that connection, new “bricks” won’t stick. They simply sit loosely until they eventually fall off.

For students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the challenge is often that they’ve had fewer opportunities to lay those initial bricks. Our mission is to stabilise the wall, ensuring that high quality teaching and learning – in every lesson, every day – allows our young people to leave our schools with a life of choice and opportunity.

This academic year, we have been working closely with Marc Rowland, a recognised national expert on the Pupil Premium, to drive our project ‘Paper to Practice’.

Pupil Premium is the annual government funding for schools in England designed to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

In the Autumn term, we gave additional training to all our pupil premium leaders and we are now in the process of visiting every single school in our Trust to ensure that our priorities on paper match the actual experiences and what learning looks like for the children who attend our schools.

This allows us to move beyond a ‘one size fits all’ approach, ensuring that our Trust-wide Pupil Premium approach is bespoke to the needs of every setting.

By focusing on securing foundational knowledge and enabling rich social experiences, we are addressing the core pillars of student success. This includes prioritising attendance and committing to establishing a sense of belonging for all.

It is crucial students are in the classroom to lay those vital bricks while our programmes like Children’s University help build confidence and ‘cultural capital’.

We are incredibly proud to share that our commitment to disadvantaged pupils is getting noticed at national levels.

Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, recently sent letters to several of our headteachers, recognising how their schools demonstrated “excellent outcomes” for disadvantaged pupils at the end of the 2024/25 academic year – placing them among the very best nationally.

While we celebrate these successes, Unity Schools Partnership remains committed to supporting our pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds every step of the way.

By Toni Kittle, Director of Secondary Education, Unity Schools Partnership

Unity Schools Partnership is delighted to announce that our plans for a new special school in Saxmundham have been given the go-ahead.

The Trust, which runs 40 schools – including five special schools – across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire – has today received news that the new school has been approved for opening by Suffolk County Council.

The 126-place school, in Seaman Avenue and on the site of the former Saxmundham SET Free School, will provide facilities for pupils aged between three and 16 years old who have severe learning difficulties.

Georgina Ellis, Executive Director of SEND at Unity Schools Partnership, said: “Creating the right SEND provision has long been a key priority for Unity Schools Partnership.

“We are proud of the reputation we have built across Suffolk and beyond for providing these dedicated facilities and supporting SEND children – whether in bespoke schools or across our mainstream settings.

“We are acutely aware of the specific need for a specialist SEND school in North Suffolk and we are looking forward to working with partners to deliver a setting that the whole community can be proud of.”

The new school, which will be funded by the Department for Education, has been agreed by Suffolk County Council in line with its SEND sufficiency plans, which outlines how specialist provision should be delivered across the county.  

Andrew Reid, Cabinet member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said: “This new school is great news for SEND families in east Suffolk and is testament to our commitment to create additional specialist school places in response to the growing needs of our community.

“The council has spent time carefully mapping the needs and disabilities of children and young people across Suffolk and evidencing where provision is most needed. This new provision is one of other announcements to follow about extra places.”

Unity Schools Partnership currently runs five special schools in Suffolk and Essex – Churchill School in Haverhill, Ipswich-based The Bridge School and Sir Bobby Robson School, Sir Peter Hall School in Bury St Edmunds and The Compass School in Romford.

I’m writing these words at the end of my first week as the Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership and I’m feeling an appropriate mix of excitement for what’s possible (‘What great schools! What amazing pupils!’) and awe at the responsibility (‘What a lot of schools! What a huge number of pupils!’)

I’m also very happy to be back in the East of England, the part of the world I’ve spent my entire adult life, apart from the last year. I arrived as an 18-year-old at teacher training college in Cambridge, where I met my wife (a native of Norfolk), and we’re really glad to be back in what, for us, is the best place in the country to live.

Such is the halo effect of homecoming, I’m even having warm feelings about the A14 and A11…let’s see how long that lasts!

With 25+ years of working in education under my belt, I’ve seen and done quite a few things that I’ll bring to my work at Unity Schools Partnership. But one consistent thread has been the use of technology to support teaching and learning.

This is all started when, as a newly qualified teacher with a class full of Year 5s, my Head said to me ‘I’ve noticed that you use the computer mouse with only one hand – would you like to be in charge of IT?’

If I’d known then that this path would eventually see me, early-pandemic, leading a national webinar on remote teaching from my shed, I’d probably have politely declined.

In this past week, I’ve visited several Unity schools and seen technology being put to really effective use. This has ranged from teachers using tablets to cast their lesson to the whiteboard, free to move around the classroom and support children, to pupils having their understanding in Maths pushed further and faster by a well-designed app that knows the exact skills they need to practice.

Examples like these remind me of Steve Jobs’ famous description of computers as ‘a bicycle of the mind’ and it’s brilliant that so many pupils in our schools have access to an iPad.

This isn’t to say that technology is an unquestioned ‘good thing’. There is a world of difference between providing children with a secure, safe and managed device containing software specifically designed to support learning and permitting the unconstrained use of phones in school.

If fact, I fully support Headteachers who decide that the very best thing they can do to help their pupils learn is to remove the distraction and the negatives that mobile phones can bring, and to free up children’s capacity to focus on what we’ve always known makes education effective – great teachers using a powerful curriculum to deliver engaging lessons.

Technology in service of learning needs to be our guiding principle as we prepare our children to become adults in a digitally rich world.

Dominic Norrish, Chief Executive, Unity Schools Partnership

Unity Schools Partnership is pleased to announce the appointment of Dominic Norrish as its new Chief Executive Officer.

A career educationist, Mr Norrish joins Unity after working as Chief Operating Officer for United Learning and then Chief Executive of IAPS, a headteachers’ association representing 650 independent schools in the UK and overseas.

Mr Norrish said he was delighted to be taking on the role of leading the 40-school Multi-Academy Trust following Tim Coulson’s departure in September.

He said: “I’m excited to be joining Unity Schools Partnership for the opportunity to play a role supporting the brilliant work done by staff with pupils in the Trust’s family of secondary, primary and special schools.

“Having spent almost all of my adult life living in East Anglia, I feel privileged to contribute to the success of its next generation.”

The Trust Board at Unity Schools Partnership highlighted Mr Norrish’s “wealth of experience and deep commitment to the organisation’s core values”.

Chris Quinn, Chair of the Bord, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dominic Norrish as our new Chief Executive.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who has provided support and leadership during the recent interim period.

“Their commitment and resilience have been vital in maintaining the stability and momentum of our schools and their efforts exemplify the spirit of Unity Schools Partnership.

“As we prepare to welcome Dominic in the New Year, we look forward to working collaboratively to achieve even greater successes for our staff, students and communities.”

Mr Norrish trained as a history teacher and worked in classroom and leadership roles in a number of state schools, teaching a variety of subjects across Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.

He spent a decade on the executive team of United Learning, the latter half as its Chief Operating Officer, where he helped steer the country’s largest MAT through the pandemic, before becoming Chief Executive of IAPS.

Dominic’s leadership is set to build upon the strong foundations already in place, inspiring continued progress towards providing an outstanding education experience for all children in the trust.

The Trust Board is confident that his vision will help propel Unity Schools Partnership to even greater heights in the years ahead.

The Trust Board wishes to acknowledge the exceptional achievements across all Unity Schools Partnership schools, made possible by the dedication and hard work of our staff, leaders and governors.

These accomplishments reflect our community’s shared purpose and passion for educational excellence.

To mark the beginning of a new school year, I wanted to extend a warm welcome to every member of the Unity Schools Partnership community – from teachers to support staff, all our families and the amazing communities that we are proud to represent. Together, you make our trust a special place where aspiration flourishes and children thrive.

We begin this term with a significant change with our outgoing Chief Executive, Tim Coulson, embarking on a new journey within the Department for Education.

Tim’s passion for ensuring every child receives the best possible education remains as strong as ever, and this opportunity allows him to continue his vital campaign on that broader stage.

Alongside our gratitude and admiration, we celebrate his achievement and the legacy he leaves behind.

I have the privilege of stepping in as Interim CEO during this period of transition while our Trust Board searches for a permanent successor.

In what has been, as always, a busy start to the new school year, we welcome new staff members, new leaders and our first ever brand new primary school – Silfield Primary Academy in Wymondham – alongside the new Unity Stars nursery in Norton Road, Haverhill.

We look forward to working with everyone who has just joined our Trust. They will all bring dedication and commitment as we continue our aim of making remarkable change happen.

We are proud to offer an environment that encourages school identity and independence while also providing the right support as part of a wider organisation.

This is not just a time of change, it’s a time for renewal. I would like us to breathe some fresh air into our core values of integrity, inclusion and kindness.

These are not just mere words from me, they are the foundation of everything we do.
To each and every member of our Unity family, my commitment is to provide stability and encouragement as we move forward together and to ensure our trust remains the beacon of excellence and inclusion.

As educators and carers, we are entrusted with nurturing young minds and building strong communities.

In the months ahead, we will navigate numerous changes and we will face new challenges. This is not only in leadership, but in adapting to updates in the Ofsted framework and managing tight budgets, to name just two.

Yet in these moments, I’m confident in our collective strength. We will value every individual’s voice and experience by creating a space where everyone feels welcomed, respected and empowered.

I wish all our schools, staff and communities a successful and fulfilling year ahead.

Students across our secondary schools have been praised following the release of their GCSE results and other qualifications.

Breckland School

‘Thrilled’ leaders at Breckland School have praised the performance of GCSE students.

Deputy headteacher Annabelle Culley-Tea said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the class of 2025 and the host of success stories. These results are a true reflection of their unwavering dedication, resilience and incredible focus. The school continues to be ambitious for our future generations.”

Castle Manor Academy

Castle Manor Academy are celebrating with Year 11 students today as they collect their GCSE results.

The Haverhill school praised students for working incredibly hard to achieve results that everyone is proud of.

Headteacher Vanessa Whitcombe said: “We are delighted to celebrate with our class of 2025. Their hard work and efforts have really paid off and we are very proud indeed of them. My congratulations go to all students and we wish them best wishes for their next exciting steps.

“I also want to offer my thanks to staff and families who have together worked to really support students with their efforts.”

County High School

The partnership between students, parents and staff was highlighted at County High School in Bury St Edmunds after the strongest set of GCSE results since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Headteacher Sally Kennedy said: “We are very proud of the achievements of the class of 2025 as they have gone on to build upon previously established strong results.

“One of the most significant factors impacting on the outcomes of students is attendance. It is an area that all headteachers nationally are concerned about because we can see the impact that attending school has on the results that each child achieves and we know that this will impact on the opportunities available for each young person.

“It is very clear from our results this year, that the students who attend regularly and are in a good learning routine do exceptionally well at County High School.

“For this reason, we will continue to be ambitious for all of our students and prioritise working with students and their families to ensure that there are no barriers to them attending and going on to achieve their potential.”

Felixstowe School

Students at Felixstowe School are once again celebrating a fantastic set of GCSE results.

Headteacher Emma Wilson-Downes said the results were a reflection on the commitment of both students and staff – and the strength of the school community.

She added: “Today is about celebrating the incredible achievements of our Year 11 students in their GCSEs. They have shown tremendous character, dedication and resilience – and their results show how they have lived out our school values.

“We are delighted that a growing number of our students have chosen to remain with us, moving into our sixth form to continue their education. Our sixth form is deliberately small – a family where every individual is known, supported and challenged to achieve their very best. It is one of the things that makes us unique at Felixstowe and we are proud that so many students want to continue their journey with us.”

Newmarket Academy

Students at Newmarket Academy are today celebrating following the best set of GCSE results in the school’s history.

Headteacher Martin Witter said: “On behalf of all staff at Newmarket Academy, we are so proud of the achievements of this year’s GCSE cohort.

“They have shown amazing dedication and commitment to their studies and their hard work has been rewarded with the best GCSE results in the school’s history.

“They deserve all this success and we can’t wait to watch them continue their studies in the months and years ahead.”

Samuel Ward Academy

Students at Samuel Ward Academy are celebrating their results in GCSEs and vocational studies.

Headteacher, Tom Johnston, said: “These students joined Samuel Ward in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and have demonstrated remarkable resilience and dedication to achieve these results which provide them with a springboard to their next steps.

“I congratulate each student who worked hard to do their very best. These students formed a fantastic year group and the teachers and support staff were happy to support them in their achievements.

“My thanks go out to the staff and to the parents who, undoubtably, have walked this path with their children.

“The buzz in the results hall was really rewarding today – it’s a proud moment for the teachers of Year 11 and myself as the headteacher to see students reaping the rewards of their hard work and endeavour. Ultimately, it is our aim that students leave Samuel Ward ready to live rich and rewarding lives.”

St Edward’s Academy

The hard work and dedication of students and staff at St Edward’s Academy have been praised following another great year of GCSE results.

The results in core subjects have been particularly outstanding this year, further solidifying St Edward’s Academy’s reputation as one of Havering’s top-performing schools.

Jodie Hassan, Executive Headteacher of St Edward’s Academy, expressed her pride in the students’ accomplishments, saying: “I am incredibly proud of all our students for their tremendous effort and commitment. Their hard work, coupled with the unwavering support from our dedicated staff, has truly paid off. I couldn’t be more pleased the successes of our students.”

Sybil Andrews Academy

Sybil Andrews Academy has congratulated students who achieved a continued year-on-year improvement in their GSCE exams and other Level 1 and 2 qualifications.

Interim headteacher, Joe Pointon, said students should feel proud of their hard work and positive attitude to learning – having engaged enthusiastically in lessons and opportunities outside of the classroom.

Mr Pointon added: “The pupils have worked extremely hard to achieve these impressive grades and I am so pleased that their perseverance and resilience have been rewarded.

“I am grateful to the staff for their commitment and dedication, and I would also like to thank the parents for their ongoing support.

“We wish all our pupils the best of luck for their academic and vocational courses next year. It has been a pleasure to work with this cohort of pupils and we are confident that they will be successful in their chosen career paths.”

Thomas Gainsborough School

Students’ commitment and resilience have been praised following the publication of GCSE results at Thomas Gainsborough School.

Headteacher Helen Yapp said: “Following our outstanding A-level results last week, we are delighted that our Year 11 students have also achieved highly at GCSE.

“They have shown themselves to be a committed and resilient year group who have made excellent progress and achieved GCSE results in line with last years.

“We are looking forward to welcoming many of them into our sixth form and wish them, and all our Year 11 students, every success and happiness in their chosen pathways.”

Sixth form campuses across Unity Schools Partnership have been celebrating their post-16 results today.

Felixstowe School

Felixstowe School is celebrating another year of success for its Sixth Form students, with excellent outcomes enabling them to take their next steps into higher education, apprenticeships and employment.

Headteacher Emma Wilson-Downes praised the resilience, determination and ambition shown by students throughout their studies, saying: “We are incredibly proud of our Key Stage 5 students. Their hard work, commitment and the support they have received from our staff, families and wider community have ensured they are ready for the exciting opportunities ahead.

“These results reflect not only academic excellence, but also the way our students have lived our school values throughout their time with us – showing inspiration by aiming high, influence by working hard and making a positive impact, and integrity by being kind and respectful to others.

“Our sixth formers leave us as well-rounded young adults, equipped not just with qualifications, but with the empathy, resilience and moral purpose to make a positive difference in the world.”

Felixstowe School has seen continued strong performance in science subjects, with 100% of students achieving A–C grades across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This was matched in Art, Drama, English Literature, Film and Sport, as well as 100% of students achieving the top grade of Distinction Star in the IT Technicals qualification.

Notable individual successes included Harry Bolton who achieved A in maths, A in physics and Distinction Star in IT. Ferne Hope was also celebrating her A in psychology, Distinction Star in Sport and Distinction Star in Child Development. She plans to go to University of Winchester to study Primary Education with QTS.

Iona Botezatu achieved A in Geography, A in Sociology and B in History, as well as an A in EPQ. Iona will be going to the University of Birmingham to read Law.

Eve Hope achieved A* in Criminology, A in Geography and B in History and is planning to go to Coventry University to study Forensic Psychology.

Martin Nevyanov achieved A in Biology, B in Maths and Distinction Star in IT. He will be reading Computer Science at UEA.

The school extends its congratulations to every student, celebrating their achievements both in the classroom and beyond.

Samuel Ward Sixth Form

Students at Samuel Ward Sixth Form are celebrating their results in A-levels and vocational studies today, which have opened up the doors to future study at university, apprenticeships and employment.

Ollie Dalzell achieved a magnificent A*A*A in Further Maths, Maths and Economics, alongside a B in Business and is now looking ahead to study MORSE (Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics) at Warwick University in September.

There were more top grades across a range of subjects, particularly in Maths, Economics, Art & Design, English Language and Literature and the Sciences. In the vocational subjects, almost half the grades were a Distinction* or Distinction and notable success in Business and Uniformed Services.

Headteacher, Tom Johnston, praised the ambition and resilience of the students, saying: “Since my arrival at Samuel Ward Academy last year, I have been impressed by the students in all year groups, but particularly in the Sixth Form.

“The excellent grades that have been achieved demonstrate very clearly that if you are determined, work hard and take advantage of the excellent support from teachers and staff at the school then students will achieve their ambitions.

“It’s a joy to share the celebrations of the students who have put in the necessary hard work and can now look forward to their first choice university placements or chosen pathway.

“Today is an important milestone for students, their families and the school staff who have supported each student. Thank you to all those who have supported these students who now have the springboard for future success.”

Other notable high-achievers included Alex Dockerill (ABCC), Daniel Quarrell (ABCC) – who are both moving on to study mathematics at the University of Essex and the University of Surrey respectively.

Both Belle Deeks and Felicity Payne are going to Nottingham Trent where they’ll read Psychology and Sport Science and Management respectively. Jessica Lines moves on to the University of Reading to read Ancient History and Archaeology and Joyce Hayden is studying Business Management at the University of Brighton.

Over the course of the last academic year, Haverhill Community Sixth Form has been re-branded to become ‘Samuel Ward Sixth Form’, which reflects the core role the sixth form has in the school.

Alongside a reformed curriculum and enrichment offer for September 2025, there has been significant investment in the resources available for students – with a fully refurbished study centre and café and each student who enrols being given an iPad for use in their studies at both school and home.

Jo Wilson, Assistant Headteacher, added: “There’s never been a better time to join Samuel Ward Sixth Form and continue the Samuel Ward seven-year journey from Year 7 to Year 13.

“It’s been a privilege to work with the Year 13s and I am proud of each one receiving results this year. It’s particularly pleasing that the students have secured the right future pathway for them – whatever their ambitions, including top universities and other routes.”

St Edward’s Academy

St Edward’s Academy is incredibly pleased to celebrate their Year 13 students who received their A-level results today. 

Headteacher Jodie Hassan said: “All our students have worked so hard to earn these results and we are unbelievably proud of what they have achieved. 

“It was delightful to observe so many students who were able to secure the course and university of their choice this morning.

“We are so happy for our cohort of Year 13s and we all wish them huge success in their chosen pathways.”

Highlights included Temilade Bejide, who is going to study aeronautics and astronautics at Southampton University.

Sam Gibbons is going to study accounting and finance at the University of Kent while Lara Ofosu will be studying biological sciences at the University of Leicester. Ethan Chenthuran will be studying business management and law at SOAS.

Thomas Gainsborough School

Students at Thomas Gainsborough School are celebrating after achieving higher post-16 results than in previous years.

A total of 84.5% of students achieved A* to C grades with 98% achieving A* to E grades,

Among the top achievers were Tommy Bentley who will be studying Chemistry at Oxford after his  A* in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

Faran Kirkham achieved an A* in Further Maths, Maths and Physics and will be studying Maths at University College London while Thea Reeve got an A* in English Language and Psychology and Distinction * in Health and Social Care. Thea will be studying Psychology at the University of East Anglia.

Headteacher Helen Yapp paid tribute to the success of students, saying: “We are all very proud of the results from this year’s cohort.

“They have worked incredibly hard and also been supported by their families and our staff in what has been a great team effort.

“We look forward to watching them go on to great success in the years to come.”

Other notable successes included George Bowden whose A in English Literature, Film Studies and History will see him study Film Studies at St Andrews University.

While Kyle de La Cruz will be studying Politics at Kings London after his A* in Government and Politics and A’s in Economics and Law.