In January, Ofsted inspected the School and classed the School as ‘Outstanding’ in every category and sub-category. This is the fourth time in a row that the School has achieved this accolade. There were outstanding results in the 2009 GCSE examinations with every student in Year 11 achieving 12+ A*-C Grades. This is the tenth year running that the Year 11 students have achieved a 100% pass rate against the Government’s target of 5+ A*-C passes. 99.4% of the students gained 5+ A*-C passes including English and Mathematics.  The percentage of students achieving at least two GCSEs in the Sciences at A*-C was 100% and all of the students also achieved at least a grade C in English Language.

In the Sixth Form, the UCAS equivalent points score for students was 410, the same number as last year while the percentage of A grades achieved rose to a record 32% of all qualifications. For A Levels the figure was 40%. Of 151 students who applied to university, 144 gained entry to their first choice.

The Public Speaking teams had a very successful year. One of the senior teams won two major national Public Speaking competitions – National Rotary Youth Speaks and the BPW (Business and Professional Women) Public Speaking Competition. Each team member also finished the season with individual awards. Other teams were successful at a local level.

The School Production of ‘Oklahoma’ in March was very much enjoyed by both participants and audiences.  A number of Sixth Form Performing Arts students have now moved on to prestigious Performing Arts Schools while younger students have gained extra experience in local professional and amateur productions.

It was also a very good year for sport with over 150 students representing their District, County, Region or Country in a wide variety of sports. 42 boys and girls played Football for their County, District or professional clubs and students represented England, Wales or Great Britain in Hockey, Netball, Swimming, Skiing, Judo, Wheelchair Basketball and Athletics.

The Under 19 Netball team qualified for the National Finals. The swimming teams competed strongly at Regional and National level. In the Midlands Area Division 6, the girls won both the Medley and Freestyle relay events at Junior and Intermediate levels. The Senior girls qualified for the National Finals of the 4 x 50m Medley relay and won our first silver medal. TTS hosted the National Schools’ Synchronised Swimming Championship and both the duet and the team took silver medals establishing the School as a leading performer in an increasingly popular sport. The School has also been chosen to be the National Centre for the sport at schools level.

On the Football field, all five girls teams reached their respective County cup finals and won four. The boys’ teams reached four out of five finals and won all four. Nationally, it was a case of ‘so near yet so far’. The Under 12 Girls reached the 5-a-side National Finals but lost on penalties in the Semi-Final to the eventual winners. The Under 13 girls reached the Midlands final while the Under 15 Girls reached the National Semi-Final. The Under 16 girls were unable to reach consecutive National Finals losing in the National Quarter-Final.

More information about a wide variety of events can be found in the 2008-2009 Newsletter below.