A Tunbridge Wells primary school has achieved its best ever SATs results, with some students obtaining 12% above the national average, despite the tests becoming tougher this year.
Year 6 pupils at Temple Grove Academy, on Friar’s Way in Tunbridge Wells, scored 65.3% in reading, writing and mathematics compared to the national standard of 53%.
Sam Linton, Headteacher at Temple Grove Academy, joined the school in November 2013 and has overseen a huge turnaround in results.
She said: “I am so pleased for our hardworking 11 year olds who should feel extremely proud of themselves, as well the staff who have put in a massive amount of effort over the last couple of years.
“Although the Government has introduced much tougher standards this year, which means it’s difficult to compare year-on-year results, the real story for us is the ongoing improvement we’ve made.
“We have been on a roller coaster to turn the academy around but it has been completely transformed. The children are proud to come here and their behaviour is outstanding – they are proud of representing the academy in the community.”
Temple Grove pupils overall scored 77% in reading, compared to the national standard of 66%; 81% in mathematics, compared to 70% nationally; 73% in grammar, punctuation and spelling compared to 72% nationally; and 69% in writing compared to 74% nationally. The average percentage relates to the number of pupils who reached the expected standard in all three subjects.
The academy is sponsored by Temple Grove Schools Trust, a charitable organisation dedicated to inspiring excellence in primary education. Enrichment funding from the Trust has enabled Temple Grove to introduce new ways of teaching and provide opportunities to learn beyond the curriculum.
Sam continued: “Recently we’ve focused heavily on maths as that was our priority after last year’s results. We looked at the latest initiatives out there and introduced Singapore Maths across the school, which is a new way of teaching. It is all about helping children master maths and gives them a thorough grasp of numbers, making sure any gaps in their knowledge are covered before moving on to the next topic.
“Since the SATs results were announced I haven’t been able to stop smiling. It’s a great reward for all our hard work and I’m delighted that more and more pupils now want to join the academy and be part of the great things ahead,” concluded Sam.
