While we all applaud the work of the Department of Education, the figures they have provided today for The Mount School's GCSE results 2012 are demonstrably wrong.
So complete is the discrepancy, that I wonder whether our School is the victim of mistaken identity?
According to the DoE, 32% of GCSE pupils at The Mount passed 5 GCSE's with grades between A*-C including Maths and English. Not only is this wrong in actual fact, we had 34% of our GCSE pupils achieved 5 A*s. Of that year group, 94% achieved 5 A*-C grades. If English and Maths are excluded, 100% of our pupils passed 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C.
Alarmingly, when I pointed out these very significant errors to the Department of Education yesterday (23/1/13) and asked them to correct it before publication this morning, I was told that they would not review the information.
According to the person who took my call, the DoE took their information from the Independent Schools' Council. Unfortunately for them, the ISC has a policy of not passing on such information, so the origin and validity of these figures falls into question.
Here at The Mount, our approach is to provide girls with an education which raises their critical consciousness, enabling them to think globally about local issues and the world around them.
Last year The Mount became the first school in England to introduce into the syllabus the teachings of the PeaceJam Foundation, which works with Nobel Peace Laureates to educate young people on a global call to action for peace.
Our girls enjoy a life beyond the classroom with vibrant groups working with Amnesty International and Eco-Schools, among other causes. We encourage our girls to give voice to their own opinions, and be willing to hear the opinions of others. It should come as no surprise to readers that The Mount boasts five living Dames among our alumni.
Girls at The Mount achieve outstanding academic results, and are consistently able to exceed their expectations. How ironic that the DoE's incorrect figures do not even address what our School nurtures inside the classroom and beyond.