This August, The Cavendish School, Cambridgeshire’s first state-maintained free school for autistic students, is celebrating the “enormous achievement” of its first ever cohort to sit GCSE exams. More than half (54 per cent) of its students, who all have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), achieved a Grade 4 or higher in English and Mathematics. Nearly 40 per cent (38%) of students at the school achieved a Grade 5 or higher in English and Mathematics, exceeding the 2022/2023 national average of 6.9 per cent for students with an EHCP.
Freya C., achieved seven GCSEs, four of which were graded 8 or 9, and will study Biology at The Cavendish School’s Sixth Form. Matthew W., will also continue onto the school’s Sixth Form to study Maths and Science after he achieved two Grade 8s in his Science GCSEs.
The school, which opened in 2021 for autistic students in Years 3 to 13, is the first state-maintained special autism school in the world to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). The educational framework is rooted in inquiry-based, transdisciplinary learning and develops students’ academic growth and their social, emotional and physical wellbeing. Students build on the skills and knowledge that they develop in Years 3 to 8 during a transition year before commencing their GCSE studies in Year 10. To prepare students for success in their exams, students complete entry-level qualifications from Year 9. A gradual, trauma-informed approach to weekly and end of unit mini assessments also normalises the process of testing knowledge throughout students’ time at the school.
Stephanie Smith, Head of School and Director of Autism Education for Eastern Learning Alliance, said she is ‘extremely proud’ of the students’ accomplishment. “Anxiety is common in autistic children and, as such, the exam period can be challenging for them. An important part of their experience at The Cavendish School is to normalise the assessment process and build students’ confidence so that they feel ready to sit their exams. Over the past four years, it has been incredibly gratifying to see our students achieve their personal and academic aspirations, and we are tremendously proud of every single one of them.”
This year’s cohort will also be the first to have the option of progressing to the school’s new Sixth Form, which opens in September 2025, where they will be able to pursue an Open University Level One module Qualification. Credits from this module can be used towards further Open University qualifications, or like A Levels, to meet the entry requirements at a variety of universities including Anglia Ruskin University and Goldsmiths University of London. Alongside this, students will also benefit from work or volunteer experience and continued therapeutic Personal Learning Goal (PLG) support.
Smith said: “At The Cavendish School, we aim to break down the potential barriers to education facing autistic young people to help our students to become independent, emotionally and socially confident young adults. Qualifications such as their GCSEs are a significant step on this journey and I am look forward to welcoming many of our students back in September, when they join our Sixth Form.”
To learn more about The Cavendish School, visit: https://thecavendishschool.org.uk/
