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As we reflect on Michaelmas term 2023, there has been much to celebrate and enjoy, from fantastic GCSE and A Levels exam results to various partnership opportunities.

In August 2023, against a backdrop of grade deflation where the proportion of top grades in England has fallen significantly, the school saw a rise in the proportion of students achieving the top A* and A grades with a quarter of all grades at this level.

Over a 1/3 of students have secured places at Russell Group or top 10 ranked UK Universities, and they will complete their studies in subjects ranging from Medicine to Theoretical Physics, and from Law to Geography. A record number of students will start degree courses at universities from Edinburgh to Exeter. Other students hold places on competitive and prestigious degree apprenticeships. Staff at Palace Street are immensely proud of all these students have accomplished throughout their two years especially as this was the first time having the experience of opening public examination results. 

Similarly, GCSE Results day 2023 saw an outstanding set of GCSE results this year with outcomes higher than in 2022, well above national averages and significantly up on 2019 results, the last time that there were comparable grade boundaries.

The doors of Palace Street were officially opened in September 2023 for the new academic year to welcome our new Year 7 and Year 12 students to Westminster City School. We celebrated the achievements of our Sixth Form students and the amazing opportunities they managed to secure which included being shortlisted for the 2023 Global Essay Prize, the OxBright Essay Competition and further opportunities available through the Amos Bursary.

Furthermore, staff and students welcomed the chance to take part in the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity fundraiser, running 5k around St. James's Park. Samin in Year 11 got everyone under way and after 3 laps of the park, there were lots of smiling faces at the finish line in front of the Palace. What a joy it was to see everyone joining together in what was a brilliant demonstration of the compassion and integrity of our school community. Thanks to the generosity of parents, colleagues, students and friends of the WCS community, we raised over £1500 for an incredible charity.

Finally, staff and students at Westminster City School were delighted to celebrate with alumni, Stephen Appiah Kubi who left Westminster City School in Summer 2022 after completing his A Levels. Stephen has been awarded the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship at Mansfield College, Oxford.Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE are working together to broaden access to careers in large commercial law firms and other careers in the City of London.

The Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme is designed to address the disproportionate under-representation in large commercial law firms and other City institutions of black men from less socially mobile backgrounds. The scheme is aimed at eligible first year law students at participating universities nationwide, and some other students at a small group of those universities.

We certainly look forward to sharing many more success stories in the weeks and months to come.

As the Michaelmas term has drawn to a close, we have seen several of our annual events taking place; this week alone has seen an uplifting Carol Service, Christmas Lunch for all, our alumni returning to collect certificates and reconnect with the school, and an end-of-term celebration at St Margaret's. Furthermore, we are incredibly proud that our shoe box appeal has seen close 67 shoeboxes worth of supplies for both The Passage and the school we are supporting in Ghana. We have also beaten our £1000 target for our Christmas Appeal!