Dear Sir,

I would appreciate it if you would allow me the opportunity to comment on an article which appeared on the front page of your December 19, 2025 edition. The article concerned Warwick Academy's I/GCSE results.

In the article, Mr Horan, the headmaster, is quoted as saying: “These exceptional results reflect not only academic excellence, but the strength of our whole-school approach.”

In the context in which it is made, Mr Horan's statement can reasonably be considered nonsense. The achievements of four pupils are simply not indicative of Warwick's “academic excellence” or vindication of its “whole school approach”.

Highly capable children tend, within reason, to do well whatever school they attend. Indeed, regarding such pupils, it is very much the case that Warwick is lucky that they choose to be educated there and not the other way around.

To properly assess Mr Horan's claims, it is necessary to review the I/GCSE results of the entire year group and not just those of the four highlighted pupils. Doing so undermines both Mr Horan's position regarding “academic excellence” and, quite likely, that regarding the effectiveness of Warwick's “whole school approach”.

On September 3, 2025, Mr Horan e-mailed parents regarding exam results. The final sentence of his paragraph on I/GCSE results reads as follows: “Our students also excelled at the top grades with 45 per cent A*/A and 9/8/7 grades achieved, also significantly above the UK's 23 per cent.”

Mr Horan neglected to make it clear to parents that the 23 per cent represented the UK average. When fairer, direct comparisons are made with other privileged fee paying schools, or even with many state schools, Warwick's 45 per cent is nothing to be proud of. Conservatively, Warwick's 45 per cent would be unlikely to get it anywhere near the top 200 schools in the UK.

One school in particular demonstrates how unimpressive the 45 per cent achieved by Warwick is. The Michaela Community School was founded in 2014 by its headmistress Ms Katherine Birbalsingh.

It is a non-selective state school with a deprived inner city catchment area in Wembley, London. Nevertheless, 80 per cent of the grades achieved by pupils at Michaela were 9/8/7.

If Mr Horan considers an achievement of 45 per cent excelling, what does he consider one of 80 per cent? Warwick is 22 points above the UK average, Michaela 57 points above, or more than two and a half times Warwick's achievement. The gap between Warwick and the UK average is 22 points, the gap between Michaela and Warwick is 35 points. Michaela is over one and a half times further from Warwick than Warwick is from the UK average.

Mr Horan used the word “significant” to describe Warwick's 22-point achievement over the UK average. How would he describe Michaela's 35 point achievement over Warwick? Is there a way in which the 45 per cent reflects well on Warwick?

When the standard of I/GCSE results for the entire year group is considered, it is not unreasonable to conclude that Warwick Academy's preparation of it's pupils for the I/GCSE exams is inadequate.

It is no less unreasonable to hypothesise that the school's “whole-school approach“ may, in some way, be contributing to academic underachievement. Rather than making unfair comparisons, Mr Horan would be better advised to investigate and rectify the deficiencies that exist in I/GCSE preparation at the school.

Of course Mr Horan may believe that children at Warwick are just less capable than those at Michaela.

AH STEWART

Somerset