Wemms Education Centre students are celebrating again this year after they received outstanding results in their A Level and GCSE exams. What makes these results extra special is that Wemms Education Centre is one of Surrey’s ‘best-kept secrets’, as a specialist independent school, whose intake is primarily students with EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans).

This year, 100% of post-16 students received A, A, B or Distinction+ on Level 3 courses for the fifth consecutive year. And all graduating students taking GCSEs received 6+ A-C GCSEs including English Language, Maths, English Literature and an MFL (modern foreign language) subject. Early entry GCSE students all received grades 7+ in English Language. This is the sixth consecutive year these results have been at this level.

Wemms, formally registered as a full time special school in 2016 and its remit has always been to focus on academic students who have been unable to succeed in a mainstream setting, the majority of whom have an EHCP, but the school does also accepts self-funded students. The school recently received an overall “Good” rating from Ofsted with “Outstanding” in the assessments of Personal Development and Behaviour and Attitudes.

One of the reasons Wemms Education Centre is so successful in turning around the lives of pupils is the commitment of the staff and the belief they have in their pupils’ ability, despite many other schools rejecting them.

Joy Wemms, the founder and Principal of the school said: “At Wemms, we treat students as individuals and tailor their schooling accordingly. Many of them come to us with poor experiences of mainstream schools, which knocks their confidence and self-belief, so they often don’t think they will do well in exams. Over time, we are able to rebuild their trust and reignite their passion for learning to help them reach their true potential. These results are a testament to that process, and we are immensely proud of all our students for their achievements and thank our incredible staff and parents for their commitment and belief in these young people’s potential.”

Wemms now have an intake of 50 students from September who are taught in one-to-one lessons and small classes. They also undertake many trips and wider educational opportunities as part of the holistic education they offer.

“But it’s not all academic – last year, students enjoyed trips to the theatre, the Design Museum, Harry Potter World, France, Jersey, Germany and Spain as part of their normal schooling. It’s just what we do” said Joy.