Every year we talk a lot about progress at Burlington House School. It sits at the heart of everything we do. But this year’s GCSE Value Added analysis from the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) shows something we’re incredibly proud of. Our pupils are not just making progress. They are making some of the strongest progress in the entire country.
FFT compares school outcomes across a huge range of settings, from mainstream secondary schools to independents. This year, Burlington House School ranks in the top one percent nationally for Value Added. For a specialist SEN school supporting neurodiverse young people, this is a milestone we’re celebrating.
Our 2025 GCSE cohort joined Burlington House well below national averages, with an average CAT4 score of 90 and a verbal score of 88. Despite this, they achieved an average Value Added score of +2.1 grades across all subjects. In simple terms, our pupils gained more than two GCSE grades higher than national predictions.
When you look deeper into the subject breakdown, the progress is even more striking. Burlington House pupils achieved the highest Value Added scores in the country in:
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English Language (+2.5)
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English Literature (+3.6)
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History (+4.3)
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Geography (+2.5)
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Citizenship (+2.7)
Other subjects also performed far above national expectations, including Mathematics (+1.3), Science (+1.2) and Photography (+1.3, ranking 6th nationally).
The value of Value Added is that it measures improvement rather than raw attainment. It takes into account where pupils started and looks at how much they grow. An expected level of progress is set at +0 across all school types. Against that baseline, +2.1 is a huge leap. It shows pupils are thriving, not just keeping up.
One of the most encouraging parts of the analysis is how well pupils with the lowest prior attainment performed. Many achieved between +2.4 and +3.4 grades of Value Added in English and Maths. For a school specialising in Specific Learning Differences, this is exactly why we do what we do. It shows that the right support can shift self-belief, confidence and outcomes in a very real way.
Headteacher Nicola Lovell summed it up perfectly. “I am immensely proud of our pupils. Their progress shows that with the right environment, the right expertise and the right support, every neurodiverse young person can thrive, grow in confidence and achieve more than they ever imagined.”
At Burlington House School, we see the daily reality behind these numbers. Small classes. Integrated therapy. Staff who understand dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and the many ways neurodiverse minds learn. Pupils who come in feeling unsure but leave knowing exactly what they’re capable of.
