Dear Parent[s] and Carer[s],
As the summer break ends, a new academic year is about to begin. We wanted to send a few reminders to help your child have a smooth start. We also thought you might be interested in the amazing achievements of our outgoing Year 11s and 13s. They received their GCSE and vocational results last week, and IB results in July. We are incredibly proud of all of them and look forward to welcoming many Year 11s back to LAB16 next week. We’re also excited to hear news of university and the working world from our first cohort of LAB16 students in coming months.
2024-2025 GCSE and vocational exam results
Leigh Academy Blackheath’s learning community has enjoyed an incredible year, culminating in our Year 11 students achieving the academy’s strongest set of GCSE and BTEC results to date, with many outstanding individual achievements. The academy sets high expectations for its students, advocating for the academically demanding EBacc pathway to guarantee a broad and balanced curriculum. The success of this year’s cohort is particularly noteworthy given that 88% pursued this pathway. Students collectively achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.72, significantly exceeding the national average of 45.9 from last year. In English and maths combined, 59.3% of students attained grades of 5 or higher, while 78.5% secured a standard pass grade in both subjects. These figures are considerably higher than the 2024 national averages of 46% and 65% for these achievements, respectively. Over 80% of our grades were grade 4 or higher, compared to 67.1% nationally. There is exceptional performance again in the sciences, with 7+ grades reaching 35.9% in biology, 46.9% in chemistry, and 48.4% in physics. Other significant achievements at the 7+ level include English language at 38.5%, geography at 38.8%, history at 35.2%, maths at 32.0%, and music at 33.3%. Particular recognition should be highlighted in PE, with 55.6% of grades falling into the 7+ category. Students across all grade levels have achieved remarkable personal successes, with many individual performances standing out.
P16 IB DP and CP exam results
Our first cohort of P16 students achieved exceptional results, surpassing global averages in both the Careers Related (CP) and Diploma (DP) courses, mirroring the success of our outgoing Year 11 students. An impressive 87% of students passed the CP, and 81% successfully completed the full Diploma, achieving the UCAS equivalent of 3 A grades at A-Level. This remarkable achievement provided ample reason for celebration among both students and staff. We are thrilled that these outstanding results have opened doors for our students to pursue life-changing opportunities in universities, apprenticeships, and direct careers. It is particularly gratifying to see students gaining admission to prestigious universities like Cambridge, Warwick, and Bath, and others commencing degree apprenticeships with leading companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers. We take immense pride in their accomplishments.
Travelling to and from the Academy
The school gate is open from 8.00 am. Due to limited parking and to maintain the safety of our students on site, there is no vehicle access for dropping off or collecting students at the academy. Students are advised to travel by public transport, walk, or cycle; there are bicycle racks onsite for bike storage during the day, but students must use their own lock to secure their bicycle or scooter onsite. Students are not permitted to bring an electric bicycle or scooter onto the school campus at any time. The academy advises that students who wish to cycle to school should use appropriate safety wear, including a helmet. Our students’ safety is a priority for us, and we ask that if they are dropped off or collected from school by car that parents and carers make appropriate arrangements to do so via side roads near the site. Please do not use the academy or neighbouring gateways as the roads can be very busy at both times of the day. Parking and dropping off are prohibited on the yellow lines outside of the academy entrance.
Communication
In the event you need to contact us, please ensure that you do so via the following communication routes to ensure your enquiry is picked up promptly.
- Email: Airy@blackheath.latrust.org.uk Telephone: Option 2
- Email: Fawcett@blackheath.latrust.org.uk Telephone: Option 3
- Email: Sancho@blackheath.latrust.org.uk Telephone: Option 4
We will continue to send out an email every Friday called LAB Weekly to keep you informed of academy news, along with separate correspondence when needed.
Uniform:
A reminder that, on those days when they are timetabled to have PE, students should come to school wearing their PE kit. On days when your child does not have PE, your child is expected to wear the following as per the guidance available on our website:
- Our navy blue blazer with academy crest;
- Steel grey classic trouser or pleated skirt;
- White button up shirt;
- Leigh Academy Blackheath college or founders tie;
- Plain navy or grey socks;
- Black leather shoes with plain laces (coloured laces are not permitted).
All students should wear their full uniform (not PE) on the first day of term.
Equipment List:
Please also note that students are expected to have the following with them each day:
- Pencil Case;
- A fully charged Chromebook;
- Writing pens (several with blue and black ink);
- 1 green and 1 red pen (biro or writing pen);
- Several pencils (HB and 2B);
- Eraser and sharpener;
- 30cm ruler;
- An adhesive glue stick;
- A pack of multi-coloured highlighters;
- Scientific calculator;
- Reading book;
- A water bottle
Mobile Phones:
Please also let me take this opportunity to remind you that mobile phones are not permitted to be used on the academy site. If seen, they will be removed, and parents or carers will be called to collect. Should a child need to contact home during the day, they can do so through the main office.
We know that parent WhatsApp, or similar groups, are very popular; however, through experience, we know that they generally cause huge anxiety and confusion amongst parents and carers. We request that any concerns or questions be directed individually to the relevant person or team at the academy using the system outlined above.
We also know that students like to create WhatsApp or similar groups that include friends from their primary school or new friends from their tutor group. We do not promote these in any way and ask that you deter your child from joining or creating them. Historically, large groups have been innocently formed, which include students from across different secondary schools, and have provided a vehicle for a minority of students to display unkindness, which leads to unnecessary upset and anxiety.
We are looking forward to meeting our new students in year 7 and 12 on Monday 1st September, and welcoming back students in years 8-11 and 13 on Tuesday from 8.00 am. I do hope you all had a restful summer break.
Best Wishes,
E Smith
Principal