Burscough Priory Academy Celebrates Rapid Transformation

Burscough Priory Academy is celebrating a huge increase in results across the board this summer. Overall ‘basics measures’ show marked increases at all levels, in all subjects, with a 14% rise in the number of students achieving a grade 4 or above in Maths and English from 61% in 2018, to 75% in 2019 and an even higher, 16% jump in the number of students achieving grade 7 or above from 8% in 2018, to 24% in 2019.

This headline data is an indication that, within a year, the school is well on its way to being turned around following its academisation, after the school was placed in special measures by Ofsted in December 2017. Having joined Endeavour Learning Trust in September 2018, the Trust leaders have developed a newly formed leadership team, retaining and recruiting a strong team of specialists to middle and senior leadership positions and within subjects. New behaviour systems were also introduced, which enabled teachers to teach and students to learn, but the biggest change overall is the sense of purpose now evident in the school and the genuine enjoyment and camaraderie between staff and students, all clearly focused on the job in hand. The school is now firmly on track to ensure its students are once again achieving at the top levels across the board.

Notable improvements can be seen particularly in English, which has seen a leap of 9% of students achieving a grade 4 or above from 66% in 2018 to 75% this summer. At the top end as well, the number of students achieving grade 7 or above has surged by 15% from 10% in 2018, to 25% in 2019.

All of the core subjects have seen increases overall, particularly with the higher grades (7+), with Maths increasing by an astonishing 21% increase at grade 7 and above and the individual sciences averaging a 20% increase in these top grades.

Outstanding individual successes are being celebrated at the very top end with a significant number of students achieving the highest grades (7-9) across a wide range of subjects. These include: Ellis Nordhoff, Holly Fairclough, Ruby Catterall, Eden Burdett-Brewer, Lex Currant, Eleanor Bemment, George Avery and Isaac Wood to name but a few. In addition to this the school is now enjoying many other notable successes across the ability ranges, with individual, relative progress increasingly becoming a genuine strength at the school.

Mrs Gwinnett, the Executive Headteacher at the school and the overall Trust Leader commented ‘It has been a fantastic year at Burscough Priory Academy and there is a very tangible feeling of pride now developing with staff and students. We couldn’t have asked for more from the students and the staff, those we have retained and those we have recruited, have really pulled together through some very difficult times this year. They should be rightly proud of the immense progress we have made’.

Lisa Dawson, the Chair of the Local Academy Council and a past parent said ‘We would like to acknowledge all the brilliant results that clearly reflect the effort and determination that all students have worked so hard to achieve, with the support and commitment of the all the staff at BPA, supported so effectively by the Trust’. Helen Dicker, the Chair of the Trust Board also stated ‘We are delighted with these results and with the outstanding progress the school has made since joining our family of schools’.  Endeavour Learning Trust also leads Tarleton Academy and Wellfield High School, who are also celebrating a wide range of successes this summer as well.