20th August 2020 — • 43% of our students were the top grade of 9

• 72% of all grades were 8 or 9

• 91% of all grades achieved were 7, 8 or 9

• 30% of students gained 10 or more 8 or 9 grades

• 5 students achieved all 9s

• 911 grades were awarded to our GCSE students

In spite of the chaos surrounding GCSE exams this year, students at City of London Freemen’s School in Ashtead once again received outstanding GCSE results. 43% of all grades conferred were graded 9 and 72% of grades achieved were 8 or 9.

Headmaster, Roland Martin, commented, “These GCSE results are outstanding, and our students, staff and parents should rightly be proud of these achievements. We are delighted that 43% of our students were awarded the top grade of 9 and I am delighted that, in spite a very challenging few months, pupils at Freemen’s have done so well.

“I am relieved for young people here, and those across the country, that our Government saw sense and made the decision to allow Centre Assessed Grades to be awarded to our students. I was always confident in the grades we recommended to examination boards and as importantly, I was under no doubt that we had stuck to the guidance to the letter and had not tried to game the system in any way. Colleagues have invested hours of work into providing accurate predictions and rank orders and our processes have been rigorous; above all, we have achieved fair and accurate prediction of performance based on data and information from those closest to the pupils - our teaching staff, who know their charges extremely well. I extend my thanks to colleagues at Freemen’s for delivering a process which has cemented a true reflection of our pupils’ attainment.”

Following the chaos surrounding A Level grades last week, Freemen’s made the unprecedented decision to accept all prospective Sixth Form applicants based on their interviews and predicted grades, rather than waiting for GCSE results to be published.

"Given the outcry following the publication of last week's A Level results, I took the decision to confirm all conditional offers held by candidates looking to join our Sixth Form as accepted, regardless of the outcome of GCSE results. This was absolutely the right thing to do given the circumstances,” suggested Mr Martin. "At Freemen's, our screening and interview process for potential Sixth Form students is rigorous and reliable. As an academically selective School with a proven track record in exam success, this demonstrates that as a school leader, I have the utmost faith in our own selection process. So many talented young people have been let down by the events of the last week, that we took matters into our own hands and have accepted all candidates we felt to be of a sufficient standard to study A Levels at Freemen's regardless of their GCSE results. This decision has removed much of the anguish our applicants were feeling and has enabled talented students make the move to A Level study, based on our rigorous application process alone."

“Like many school leaders, I am still angered by the way that this year’s examination cohort has been treated when they were already trying to navigate one of the most stressful times of their lives. The fact that the Chair of Ofqual had to be invited by a journalist to apologise for the chaos of the previous week or so emphasises the detachment between those who shape policy decisions that impact young people and those who know them best – in the context of education, their teachers. It has been a very fraught period for students, teachers and school leaders, as well as for parents and families and much of the anxiety could have been avoided by clearer consideration of consequences and more informed decision making.”

Supporting students working remotely during lockdown in maintaining a balance between keeping up with academic studies and emotional and physical wellbeing continues to have been an important part of day-to-day life at Freemen’s.

Students have demonstrated huge courage and determination in the face of the cancellation of their external examinations, having taken full advantage of the Sixth Form bridging courses devised by Freemen’s teaching staff. GCSE students were afforded the opportunity to further develop their studies in their chosen A Level subjects, in order to provide them with a head start on their Sixth Form studies.

Said Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen's School “After last week’s record-breaking A Level results it was encouraging to hear more good news this week and to see that the excellent academic standards at the Freemen’s School have been maintained, despite a series of upsets. We appreciate that an enormous amount of effort went into the Sixth Form bridging courses, so that children are best prepared for their futures. My congratulations to students, parents and staff at the School.”

We look forward to welcoming the students back into the Sixth Form at the start of the new academic year, where they will transition to the new state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre in Main House during the early part of 2021.

For more information, go to the school’s website: www.freemens.org

17th August 2020 — City of London Freemen's School is taking control in the wake of the A Level results debacle and is taking the unprecedented decision to accept all prospective Sixth Form applicants based on their interviews and predicted grades, rather than waiting for GCSE results to be published.

Said Roland Martin, Headmaster "Given the outcry following the publication of last week's A Level results, and the undoubted confusion and downgrading of exam results that will be forthcoming with GCSE results on Thursday, I have decided to confirm all conditional offers held by candidates looking to join our Sixth Form as accepted, regardless of the outcome on Thursday."

"At Freemen's, our screening and interview process for potential Sixth Form students is rigorous and reliable. As an academically selective School with a proven track record in exam success, this demonstrates that as a school leader, I have more faith in our own selection process than that of the results that will be published on Thursday. So many talented young people have been let down by the standardisation of exam grades that we are taking matters into our own hands and will be accepting all candidates we felt to be of a sufficient standard to study A Levels at Freemen's regardless of their GCSE results. I hope this will remove some of the anguish our applicants will be feeling at this time, and enable talented students make the move to A Level study, based on our rigorous application process alone."

A multi-million pound investment programme is underway at the School with the refurbishment of the Main House at the heart of Ashtead Park into a new Sixth Form Centre featuring dedicated learning and social spaces.

This exciting new provision for future students - a visionary Sixth Form facility, which is nearing completion in the iconic Main House building at Freemen’s - will ensure that future students in the Sixth Form will continue to enjoy the best education possible.

For more information, go to the school’s website: www.freemens.org

13th August 2020 — Freemen’s A Level students celebrate record-breaking success despite this year’s challenges

• 86% of grades achieved were A* - B grades

• 65% of grades achieved were A* / A grades

• 32% of all grades achieved were A* grades

• 96% of grades achieved were A*- C grades

Students at City of London Freemen’s School in Ashtead are celebrating record-breaking A Level results this year, despite the chaotic circumstances surrounding grade allocation. 86% of all grades achieved were A*- B and the percentage of A* grades awarded (32%) is the highest that the School has achieved. Such continued excellence is reassuring, given A Level students in the UK face a particularly challenging environment at the moment.

Freemen’s is continuing to improve despite having historically outstanding results – this reflects the significant investment in teaching and learning over recent years, the expertise of the staff and the incremental approach that see’s Freemen’s’ students peak as they reach the end of the Sixth Form.

“I extend my congratulations all A Level students on their resilience throughout this challenging time,” said Roland Martin, Headmaster, City of London Freemen’s School. “Not only have our students missed out on their final weeks of their careers at Freemen’s, they have also been unable to enjoy so many of their final events. They have demonstrated huge courage and determination in the face of the cancellation of their external examinations, having taken full advantage of the university bridging courses devised by our teaching staff, and I am immensely proud of each and every success.”

“The circumstances around grading this year have been incredibly challenging for schools. Colleagues here and across the country have put hours of work into providing accurate predictions and rank orders only for them to be ignored. At Freemen’s, 42% of the grades awarded were lower than the Centre Assessed Grades which we took pains to provide through rigorous and accountable process. The hurried, eleventh-hour suggestion that mock grades could be taken as an alternative is further evidence that there is a disconnect between Government ministers and school operations. How non-standardised assessments can be a better alternative than the judgement of professionals who have been working with pupils during their studies is highly questionable.”

“I should like to thank my colleagues – Mr Bridges, Heads of Department, subject teachers, our examinations officer, Mrs Williams - who have worked so hard to ensure that students were supported during this period, not least in the predicted results that were submitted. Our processes were rigorous and onerous as we were determined to have a narrative that could prove what we felt this cohort deserved.”

University bridging courses, devised by Freemen’s teaching staff, were undertaken by A Level students following lock-down, allowing them to use the time productively to further their skills and studies and providing them with a solid start to university life. In light of the cancellation of formal examinations, the School supported students moving on to study undergraduate courses, during the period of remote learning. Freemen’s responded to research which has shown that students are more likely to flourish if they have both an understanding of what is to be expected of them and prior experience of work that is geared towards the demands of study for undergraduate courses.

Paul Bridges, Deputy Head Academic, commented, “I hope that we have prepared our leavers for bright and successful futures, despite the period of remote learning, and we wish them every success.”

Freemen’s is incredibly proud of the students have who have received offers for places on a huge range of courses at a number of highly competitive universities, so-called ‘higher tariff providers’. Freemen’s students have enjoyed considerable Oxbridge success this year, with five students holding offers from Oxford for PPE, Classics, Materials Science, Engineering Science and Psychology, whilst four students hold offers from Cambridge for Medicine, Engineering, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, so it is vitally important that our students are as well-prepared as possible for these demanding undergraduate courses. In addition, PSHE sessions were delivered on topics related to the transition from school to university.

Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen's School, commented, “In any normal year, an enormous amount of effort goes into preparing for these examinations, let alone given the challenges our students have faced during this very trying period. The provision of bridging courses for students in such a short time frame has no doubt assisted our talented Sixth Form students with an accelerated start to their university life. I remain in awe of both students and staff for the tremendous efforts they have demonstrated in such challenging circumstances.”

With reference to the exciting new provision for future Sixth Form students, said Mr Woodhouse, “The visionary Sixth Form facility, which is nearing completion in the Main House here at Freemen’s, will ensure that future students in the Sixth Form will continue to enjoy the best education possible.”

A multi-million pound investment programme is underway at the School with the refurbishment of the Main House at the heart of Ashtead Park into a new Sixth Form Centre featuring dedicated learning and social spaces.

For more information, visit: www.freemens.org

9th July 2020 — Partnership working is central to the vision, mission and values at City of London Freemen's School. Working with local schools to share knowledge and experience, the ultimate aim of Partnership work at Freemen’s is to improve pupil outcomes in all settings. Whilst face-to-face contact with other schools hasn’t been possible this term, Freemen’s staff have connected with our partner schools via video calls to ensure the knowledge sharing continues. We have been sharing courses with the other City of London schools, created by our teachers for pupils starting A levels in September, and other courses preparing pupils who are about to start university.

The desire to connect with people in other school settings, to share ideas, to learn from one another, exists across all departments at Freemen’s.

As part of our partnership efforts, plans were in place to lead a music project involving four local primary schools along with pupils from Freemen’s. The primary schools would benefit from free weekly music lessons provided by a music teacher from Freemen’s, incorporating singing techniques as well as preparing a number of musical pieces, to be performed in a spectacular end of term concert involving Freemen's and pupils from the local schools.

The current situation has sadly prevented this from taking place, however, determined to create a music project that would allow our partnership working to continue, a unique ensemble has been devised and produced involving a number of schools, brought together in a digital context.

Freemen's Musician in Residence, Mr Peters, has written and composed a song specifically for the project, entitled Even Apart We're Together. The schools involved, West Ashtead Primary School and Woodlands Special School, each received a video produced by Mr Peters teaching pupils some basic singing techniques, along with a video of Mr Peters singing parts of the song. Each pupil has been recorded singing or joining in with the song. The final version of the song includes all of the children who took part.

The overwhelming response from all of the school communities involved served as a timely reminder of the power of music to convey a message and invoke feelings and emotions, as the title of the song says ‘Even Apart, We’re Together’.

The video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/NRxGZHIVDHA

Said Emma Dawson, Woodlands School, "At Woodlands, we strive to give our pupils as many musical opportunities as possible as music is such an important outlet and form of expression for our pupils. We haven’t been able to take part in as many of these opportunities this year, which is why we are so excited to be asked to be a part of this amazing music project organised by Freemen's School."

Whilst we understand that working on projects with our partner schools on a face-to-face basis is not going to be possible in the near future, we are determined to continue our partnership working for pupils and staff, ensuring Freemen's upholds the ethos of Learn, Lead and Make a Difference.

23rd April 2020 — Maximising remote learning with A Level and University ‘Bridging’ Courses.

Freemen’s is looking forward to launching a selection of six-week A Level Bridging courses and pre-university skills courses, which will begin next week, for current GCSE and A Level students. In light of the cancellation of formal examinations, and in true Freemen’s style, the school is looking at ways in which it can support students moving on to study A Levels and undergraduate courses, during this period of remote learning. Research has shown that students are more likely to flourish if they have both an understanding of what is to be expected of them and prior experience of work that is geared towards the demands of A level study and undergraduate courses. Within the first 24 hours of launch, 108 Freemen's A Level students signed up to the courses on offer.

The aim of the A Level bridging courses is to ease the transition from GCSE to A level in key areas, including the development of study skills, encourage a more open-ended, independent nature of A Level study and assist with guiding students through the complexity and volume of material they are expected to manage. Bridging courses, completed by students at the end of year 11, will provide opportunities for students to explore their chosen A level subjects before September and thereby ensuring that they are fully equipped for the start of the Autumn term.

The School is encouraged by the feedback it has received from the parent body about the provision of these proactive courses: “To fill the remainder of the year with A Level bridging courses seems quite inspired, and I can only imagine the monumental efforts which have been required of all the teachers to get this ball rolling. I'm sure, however, that it will change this time of challenge into one of great academic opportunity for most of the pupils, not to mention the positive psychological impact of having them 'future focussed' again.”

Freemen’s is incredibly proud of the students have who have received offers for places on a huge range of courses at a number of highly competitive universities, so-called ‘higher tariff providers’. To provide the best possible start to university life, the pre-university courses the School is providing will enable Freemen’s students to feel more confident and able to embark independently on the transition from school to university; be more open to the new challenges that lie ahead; increase their ability to realise their academic potential and increase student motivation and confidence as they embark on their undergraduate life. Freemen’s students have enjoyed considerable Oxbridge success this year with five students holding offers from Oxford for PPE, Classics, Materials Science, Engineering Science and Psychology, whilst four students hold offers from Cambridge for Medicine, Engineering, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, so it is vitally important that our students are as well-prepared as possible for these demanding undergraduate courses. Freemen’s academic departments will deliver a range of Preparation for your Course programmes which will engage, excite and stimulate the academic appetite for the subjects students are seeking to study at University. These will be realistic, challenging and manageable; enabling the students to make links to material introduced at A Level and now considered in greater depth. In addition, PSHE sessions will be delivered on topics related to the transition from school to university.

“We are very excited about making the most of this period of time for our External Examination candidates. Rather than focussing on the disappointment of being unable to sit the exams for which they have worked so desperately hard, our students will now be able to benefit from looking ahead to, and preparing for their ongoing studies. These courses, coupled with ongoing pastoral support will undoubtedly provide Freemen’s students with the best possible preparation for their future education.” - Mr Roland Martin, Headmaster, City of London Freemen’s School.

23rd April 2020 — Our Freemen’s pupils, parents and staff have made wonderful efforts in supporting the local community. We are proud to report the following initiatives have been undertaken by members of the Freemen’s community to help support medical services, help vulnerable people and NHS Staff, in the face of the Coronavirus outbreak:

Pupils from across the School have been baking cakes for St George’s in Tooting, an initiative set up by Freemen’s student;

The School Medical Centre has donated gowns, masks and aprons to the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and are currently making wash bags and mask ear savers to donate to staff at Epsom Hospital;

The Boarding House has donated a box of non-perishable food to Epsom and Ewell food bank;

The PA to Head of Junior School and her husband are NHS volunteers, delivering prescriptions on behalf of local hospitals;

A Freemen's Teacher of Art is making scrubs for a local hospital;

Students in the Junior School have written letters to local care homes to cheer up the residents who are lacking visitors at this time;

Our DT department has been furiously busy making face shields. Just under 500 face shields have been produced so far, along with 200 ear savers (for face masks), and have been donated to - Walton Heath Manor Care Home, Homelea Care Home, Heathcote Medical Centre, a number of wards (including A&E and Paediatric A&E) at Epsom Hospital, the physiotherapy department at Queen Mary's Hospital, and the Adult Social Care unit for Epsom & Ewell at Surrey County Council.

Freemen's Community and Partnerships Officer has been delivering prescriptions on behalf of a local pharmacy, and taking calls for the Community Coronavirus Care group, organising shopping and prescription deliveries for elderly and vulnerable people around Ashtead, Epsom and Leatherhead;

Two of our Freemen's Junior School pupils have been using their 3D printing skills to produce parts for face shields to help protect NHS staff from CoVID-19. The parts have been donated to ICU staff at Epsom & St Helier Hospital and are already being put to good use.

One of the School's Old Frees runs a care home and was able to gather tremendous support from the parent community, many of whom have helped by donating PPE to her care home as well as with offers of meals and support for their staff;

The Head of English and the Alumni and Development Officer are launching the Pen Pals project to Freemen’s Scholars this week. The aim is to support elderly Old Frees who are isolated by writing letters;

A Junior School Teacher has been sewing washable scrubs bags for NHS staff, so that they can safely take their used scrubs home to be washed. The bags have been donated to Croydon University Hospital;

The School remained open over the Easter holiday, to provide support for our Key Worker children, thanks to the generosity of volunteer staff;

Thank you to everyone who has offered their help and continues to give their support to those in need.