Our Results: GCSE, Functional Skills & Entry Level
We are always so proud of our students sitting examinations. For some students, this is the huge achievement. Others go on to gain outstanding outcomes which are comparable to students in other settings. The exams which students take are bespoke and tailored to the college courses or further education desired by each individual. Some students may only take Functional Skills Maths and English, while others may sit 5 GCSE subjects.
GCSE Results:
As far as is possible, we aim to secure some GCSE results for the majority of our students. We know that this is the standard for all secondary school leavers and the common language for discussing academic outcomes.
By studying for GCSEs, learners not only reduce barriers in terms of ongoing accessibility in their future education provision: reducing nerves around exams, being used to the context and content of mainstream assessment & filling previous education gaps but if learners successfully pass, they have a broader range of options and can more fully concentrate on their chosen topic due to not having to re-sit Maths and/or English. Some students come to us with passions that deserve recognition through assessment such as Art and History.
The above graph shows our results over time for our core offer of English (Literature and Language), Maths and Biology. In 2026, we offered the broadest range of entries to date. We had the highest student numbers taking the highest number of exams. Each year's cohort often ends up looking very different at The Yellow House based on individual needs and the number of entries can highly impact our results data.
English is a subject where students continue to do well; especially in Language. Despite students not always enjoying the process of analysing how the writer and characters are portrayed, a lot of The Yellow House School's wider curriculum is aimed at understanding and processing emotions. In 2021, we only had entries for 2 subjects, both of which were successful pass grades. In 2020 and 2022, we entered students for Biology, who gained lower than a grade 4. In 2026, half of our cohort achieved a grade 4 or above.
Students often have fear around maths and we see this reflected in the outcomes below. We are looking at how we increase this outcome as we know how valuable both maths and English are for student's life skills, independent living in addition to ongoing education.
English is a subject where students continue to do well; especially in Language. Despite students not always enjoying the process of analysing how the writer and characters are portrayed, a lot of The Yellow House School's wider curriculum is aimed at understanding and processing emotions. In 2021, we only had entries for 2 subjects, both of which were successful pass grades. In 2020 and 2022, we entered students for Biology, who gained lower than a grade 4. In 2026, half of our cohort achieved a grade 4 or above.
Students often have fear around maths and we see this reflected in the outcomes below. We are looking at how we increase this outcome as we know how valuable both maths and English are for student's life skills, independent living in addition to ongoing education.
Functional Skills Results
We choose GCSE or Functional Skills entry carefully for each student, taking into account previous learning and desired next steps.
We usually only have 1 or 2 student entries for each subject per year, if at all. In both 2022 and 2024, we have no entries in either subject. In 2026, we had 1 maths entry which wasn't successful unfortunately.2026 was our first year with TQUK as an examination board which may have impacted learner confidence in Maths as the papers looked very different from AQA.
We choose GCSE or Functional Skills entry carefully for each student, taking into account previous learning and desired next steps.
We usually only have 1 or 2 student entries for each subject per year, if at all. In both 2022 and 2024, we have no entries in either subject. In 2026, we had 1 maths entry which wasn't successful unfortunately.2026 was our first year with TQUK as an examination board which may have impacted learner confidence in Maths as the papers looked very different from AQA.
Entry Level Certificate Results:
Entry Level Certificates are something which we have used in two ways: either to enter students with little confidence or big learning gaps in the subject or as a foundational stepping stone towards Functional Skills or GCSE outcomes.
As seen below, we have broadly moved away from the teaching and assessing of Entry Level across the core subjects as we do not find that the syllabus provides as much of a gap-fill stepping stone as we would like.
We continue to have the option and our students continue to do well in subjects they are entered for. In both 2025 and 2026, we only had Mathematics entries.
Entry Level Certificates are something which we have used in two ways: either to enter students with little confidence or big learning gaps in the subject or as a foundational stepping stone towards Functional Skills or GCSE outcomes.
As seen below, we have broadly moved away from the teaching and assessing of Entry Level across the core subjects as we do not find that the syllabus provides as much of a gap-fill stepping stone as we would like.
We continue to have the option and our students continue to do well in subjects they are entered for. In both 2025 and 2026, we only had Mathematics entries.
Whatever our results look like over the years, what we value most is helping to shape learners who are proud of themselves and their achievements. We recognise that exams, grade 4 + and academic success only form one part of each families' school experience. We want all of our students to achieve as much as they can as lifelong learners which may be 5 GCSE passes in year 11 or it may be getting up, getting dressed and leaving the house. It depends on each learner's starting point and their unique circumstances throughout their time at The Yellow House School.
We look forward to updating our results in 2027!
We look forward to updating our results in 2027!