THE A-LEVEL results for 2010 confirm that academic standards are as high as ever, the English School said yesterday as pupils flocked back to classrooms after their summer break.
In a press release, the school said the “phenomenal success of A-level results prove that in spite of criticism that the academic standards in the school were declining, 14 per cent of the total number of entries were A* (which is well above the national picture in the UK which was 8 per cent).
“Moreover, 99 per cent of the students achieved A*-C, which marked a 3 per cent increase on last year’s results, while 66 per cent of these grades were A* or A.
“These results reflect the hard work and dedication of students, the commitment of teachers and the support of their families,” it said.
Deborah Duncan, Head Teacher of the English School, was quoted as saying she was delighted with the overall exam results:
“It certainly responds to the criticism in the press that the school is not doing as well as in the past. This is clearly false and we have the statistics to prove it. I look forward to even higher grades in future years as we implement our vibrant strategic plan!”
According to the school, graduates secured a university place in the most popular UK universities (University College London, followed by Imperial, Queen Mary, Southampton and Nottingham), five students landed places at Oxford and Cambridge, and one student was admitted to Yale in the United States.
In July a group of English School parents sent the media a letter expressing concern that the school’s standards had dropped.
The parents alleged that standards had dropped to the point that children had to take extra afternoon lessons to cover the gaps. They also accused the board of governors of financial mismanagement, referring specifically to money spent to send teachers on rapprochement seminars in Ireland.
Protests that taxpayers’ money is being wasted prompted politicians to freeze €341,000 in state funding. The House Finance Committee has been withholding the grant since last December.
It’s far from clear when parliament will take another look at the matter – and sources at the school say time is running out.
Without the grant, the Mail is told, the school can stay afloat for a couple of months more at most, after which it may have to look to alternative sources of revenue – which could mean a hike in tuition fees.
Founded in 1900, the school has been mired in controversy over the board’s decision to introduce the Muslim holy days of Bayram in the school calendar, as well as efforts to close the school on November 15, the occasion of the breakaway state’s unilateral declaration of independence.
Turkish Cypriots, readmitted to the school seven years ago, currently make up around 12 per cent of students.
Management said at the time that the climate in the school was extremely tense last year on November 15, leading to the intimidation of Turkish Cypriot students. Reportedly, one Greek Cypriot student even came to the school with a T-shirt saying “A good Turk is a dead Turk”.
The decision was criticized by the English School Parents Association (ESPA) which argued that management should try to deal with the problems rather than close the school. Under pressure from politicians, the board has since retracted its decision on November 15.
The school’s board continues to stand by its decision to observe Muslim holidays, while the ESPA is opposed.
The lesser Muslim holiday, Ramazam Bayram (Eid al- Fitr) is coming up this week, although it will most likely not be observed by the school. The focus now is on the holiday known as Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha), which start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, and will fall around mid-November.
