Celebrations Continue as Maple Hayes Hall Dyslexia School Pupils Achieve Outstanding GCSE Success

Oliver Hill says he wants to become a tree surgeon so will be going to study at Derby College to do a course in arboriculture.

Celebrations are once again in full swing for pupils at Maple Hayes Hall, a specialist dyslexia school in Staffordshire, as they receive their GCSE results.

This year's cohort of 21 pupils has achieved exceptional success, with 24% of students attaining five or more GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths. This accomplishment is particularly remarkable given the unique challenges faced by these dedicated students. 

The school's performance in English was outstanding, with an impressive 76% of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above. Additionally, 57% of students secured grade 4 or above in Mathematics, whilst 43% achieved this benchmark in both English and Maths combined.

Headteacher David Lowe, celebrating his second set of GCSE results since joining the school two years ago, expressed his immense pride in the students' achievements.

Mr Lowe said: "I am really proud of them all for working so hard and they had excellent results. This cohort has demonstrated remarkable determination and resilience, and we are thrilled to see their hard work paying off. We can't wait to see where their achievements take them next."

Among this year’s standout success stories is Oliver Hill from Burton who celebrated excellent results, securing six GCSEs at grade 4 or above.

He said: “I am really happy with my results and I’m so glad that I did so well. I am going to study arboriculture as I want to become a tree surgeon. I like working outdoors and I wanted to do something different, rather than have a desk job.”

His mum Becky said: “These results were down to him and the fantastic teachers at Maple Hayes and how he has been taught. Their hard work has made this all possible and we are so proud of him.”

Oliver’s Dad Rob, added: “We are so proud of him and his achievements. When he came to this school he couldn’t read or write but within just a few months he was doing both. Thank you to everyone for making this happen.”

Catherine Armstrong rounded out the top achievers with six GCSEs at grade 5 or above, showcasing the consistent high standards reached by this year's pupils.

Catherine Armstrong would like to become a meteorologist after securing her GCSE results.

She said: “I am so happy with these results. I want to go onto become a meteorologist one day and this will mean I can be a step closer to it.”

Her proud Mum Evelyn added: “She has overcome so many challenges to get these results. She wants to go on to do a degree in Environmental Science after doing her A Levels in Geography, Environmental Science and Media Studies. She has done so well today and worked so hard.”

The results reflect similar success to last year's cohort, demonstrating the sustained excellence and effectiveness of the school's unique teaching methods.

This year group has shown remarkable resilience, overcoming not only their individual learning challenges but continuing to build on the strong foundations established at Maple Hayes.

Dr Daryl Brown, Co-Principal of the school said: "Well done to all our GCSE pupils in achieving such success. We are so proud of their journey over the last few years and want to wish them all the best for the future."

The continued success of these pupils can be attributed to the unique teaching method employed at Maple Hayes. This Lichfield-based independent school uses a distinctive morphological approach to teaching the English language, which was developed by the school's founder Dr Neville Brown.

The method uses visual icons to create links between meaning and spelling, diverging from traditional phonics-based instruction that often proves challenging for dyslexic learners.

Established in 1982 by Dr Neville Brown and his wife Brenda, Maple Hayes Hall School has been at the forefront of dyslexia education for over four decades, continuing to demonstrate that with the right support, dyslexic pupils can achieve remarkable academic success.