Yesterday the Department for Education published the provisional performance tables which allow parents to compare how schools performed in last summer’s GCSEs.  I am delighted to let you know that these performance tables have confirmed that the GCSE results achieved by the students of King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys were the best ever results that the school has achieved since the reform of GCSEs in 2017.  

The GCSE results achieved by last year’s Year 11 give the school a Progress 8 score of +0.78.  This is a very impressive score, and it means that students at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys made progress that was ‘well above’ the national average for students of the same ability in other schools across the country.  

The GCSE performance places our school as the second-best performing school in Birmingham and Walsall when compared to other boys and mixed grammar schools.  

The performance of our students at GCSE also comes in a year where we achieved record-breaking A-Level results, with last year’s Year 13s achieving our highest ever proportion of A*-A and A*-B grades in a normal exam year.  

The confirmation of these results in the performance tables is a real testament to the hard work and commitment of our students and staff and the strong level of support we receive from our parents. 

As part of the preparation for January’s Ski Trip to Italy, a number of Year 8 and Year 9 students recently visited Ackers’ Adventure, a dry slope in Small Heath.  Here, the beginners practised the basics and those who had skied before developed their existing skill.  Impressive resilience and perseverance were on show!

We are launching our annual collection for the Trussell Trust Foodbank. As you may be aware of the extremely high demand across Birmingham (and indeed across the country) for donations of food due to the devastating impact of cost of living crisis on families and their communities. Please give as generously as you can.

Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. Trussell Trust Foodbanks provide a minimum of three days’ emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK and specifically in Birmingham.

Over 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK.

Foodbanks feed some 1,200,000 people nationwide. Of those helped, approximately 500,000 are children.

At HGS we can do something to help, if every student in the school brings in just one item we will be able to donate more than a 1,000 items to the Trussell Trust’s FoodBank in Birmingham.

Tins and packets are the best items to donate. Please see the list below for ideas about what to donate.

We will be collecting items as above from Monday 2nd December until Wednesday 18th December.

Please bring your donations to your Form Tutor or to Mr Johson’s Office.  Please give as generously as you can.

We can make a real difference and be a force for good by working together to help other people who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Thank you.

Make a difference!

DONATE

On Wednesday, November 13th, the year 13 Economics cohort attended a series of economics taster lectures at the University of Birmingham. The lecture focused on key economic concepts like unemployment, consumption, and income. It explored how voluntary unemployment, where people choose not to work, contrasts with involuntary unemployment, where lack of skills leads to joblessness. We also discussed consumption as a measure of prosperity—higher disposable income means greater spending on goods and services, indicating well-being. The lecture highlighted GDP as a common income-based measure of economic performance but noted its limitations, such as ignoring environmental costs and income inequality. The Easterlin Paradox was discussed, which suggests that beyond a certain income threshold, increased GDP doesn’t correlate with higher happiness. We also considered how welfare should be a key policy focus, emphasizing happiness and life satisfaction over mere economic growth, a concept supported by studies like those of Blanchflower and Oswald. Overall it was a very informative and positive day and it was very supportive in our education.

Eshaan Prabhakar 13HFI

Over the day we had to attend three lectures, each focusing on a particular topic related to economics. The first lecture focused on the happiness of economics, implying how economics factors such as income and wealth influence overall life satisfaction and quality of life. Moreover, students engaged in discussions about the happiness of economics, which broadened our understanding to why losses often feel more significant than gains. The second lecture’s focus was on the Productivity Puzzle, which looked at how productivity growth has been unusually slow despite advancements in technology and other factors boosting productivity. Lastly, the third lecture centred at the university in general, explaining the application process, grade requirements and facilities provided at UOB.

Overall, the trip highlighted the diverse career paths in economics and motivated us to pursue our academic interests with greater enthusiasm.  Meeting with professors provided valuable insights into university life and the study of economics at a higher level.  We are grateful to the university staff for their hospitality and look forward to more such educational visits in the future. It  was an inspiring and educational experience for us all.

Ravjot Singh 13HFI