Exciting future ahead for Cramlington Learning Village
Cramlington Learning Village is creating an exciting future for its current and future students with a new £50m school, excellent A Level results and a highly positive Ofsted inspection.
Earlier this summer inspectors acknowledged the strength of the school’s Sixth Form offer – including the introduction of A Level Law two years ago – and the benefit to students is already evident.
Will Bruce received A* grades in Law, English Literature and Business and is going to study Law at London’s King’s College.
Will had done well at GSCE, achieving 9, 8 and 7 grades, but says he could have done even better. He became interested in Law after the school put on a taster session in Year 11 and now sees a future ahead in the legal profession. But he is most proud of one of his other results.
“There hasn’t been an A* in English Literature since before COVID and I really wanted to get one,” he said. “I feel a great sense of achievement.”
Francesca Borthwick (pictured below left) came to the Sixth Form at Cramlington Learning Village (CLV) because her old school did not teach subjects she was interested in pursuing.
“It was the best decision ever. I just liked Cramlington and they had more options,” she said. “My old school didn’t do Criminology and I knew I wanted to do that.” Like Will, Francesca achieved an A* in Law, and A in Criminology and B in History. She is weighing up offers of places at Newcastle and Liverpool Universities to study History.
In addition to the success of its new breed of Law students, science continues to be a strength at the school.
Alex Furness (below right, getting a congratulatory hug as his proud mum looks on) received A* grades in Chemistry, Maths and Physics, is going to study Physics at Durham University and already sees a career in research and academia.
“The school has been very good my whole time here, providing past papers, resources and space to revise. The teachers are brilliant and provided a lot of really useful advice. Obviously my parents have been really supportive as well, helping to push me to get over the line.”
His proud Mum Kerry said: “It’s amazing. He’s worked so hard and it’s well deserved. Exciting times ahead for him at Durham.”
Now that their school careers are over, CLV’s formers students are heading off to universities across the UK and – in one case – to the University of New Mexico in the United States.
Others are taking up apprenticeships with leading employers and organisations including the global professional services company Accenture, the accountants Ernst & Young, construction industry consultants CK21 and the police.
School leaders say they are also able to look forward to an exciting future. The new school building is on track to be ready in Autumn 2027 and they say they were delighted with CLV’s recent Ofsted inspection. As well as a positive reaction to changes in the Sixth Form, the inspectors also concluded that students achieve well, outcomes are improving over time and that the overwhelming majority of students progress to meaningful education, employment or training.
Co-Headteachers Jon Bird and Kim Irving said: “We are extremely proud of our students and the achievements they are celebrating today. There are some fantastic individual stories, and it is particularly pleasing to see students progressing into such a wide range of universities, apprenticeships and employment opportunities.
“Our recent inspection recognised the strengthening of our Sixth Form, including the quality of teaching, careers guidance and support students receive in preparing for their next steps. Today’s results give us another opportunity to celebrate the hard work of our students, staff and families. We wish all of our students every success as they begin the next chapter of their lives.”