According to a recent study by the Guardian and the analysts FFT, Watford Grammar School for Girls achieved the most impressive academic performance in England among schools of its kind. Despite not being a traditional grammar school, the academy achieved the highest proportion of students awarded top A* and A grades in English, geography, art and design, mathematics, and music among non-selective state schools in England. Additionally, it ranked among the top 10 schools for the percentage of students awarded top grades in history and languages. In fact, Watford Grammar’s results were on par with the best selective state and independent schools in several subjects, with 96.5% of music entrants and 85% of geography entrants achieving A* and A grades.
Dame Helen Hyde, the headteacher of Watford Grammar School for Girls, attributed the school’s success to its outstanding teachers. She praised the teachers’ enthusiasm and cited the school’s geography and maths departments as examples of exceptional teaching. The school is primarily non-selective, admitting students based on proximity, but allocates 25% of entrants based on academic ability and an additional 10% based on musical aptitude. Music is an integral part of the school’s culture, and Hyde warns that without investment in music departments in the state sector, music may fade away.
Hyde has been headteacher for 25 years and has witnessed many trends come and go in education. She believes that academy status, which the school achieved three years ago after being a voluntary-aided school, is beneficial. Academy status allows headteachers greater flexibility in making decisions that positively impact the education of their students. Hyde highlights staff policies as an area where academy status has allowed for greater flexibility. It has enabled her to structure staff employment, pay, and working conditions in a way that benefits everyone. Academy status also promotes a culture of free and independent thinking that extends to the school’s students, training them to think critically and independently.
