EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT
THE BIGGER PICTURE At Stephen Perse Cambridge, results are not the only measure of success
Beyond the grades
Exam results don’t reflect all of a young person’s achievements, says Abbey Jones, senior deputy head 11-18 at Stephen Perse Cambridge
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these deeper reserves, not by removing pressure, but by ensuring young people are comfortable handling situations that don’t go their way, learning from the experience and moving forward. Finally, stepping into the adult world increasingly demands more of young people in terms of their emotional intelligence. Navigating the complexities of different team dynamics – a skill we see students developing throughout their time as part of a school community – shapes how successfully they will function in future professional and social groups. Ultimately, students will find that the world after they finish school values a rich spectrum of skills, experiences and abilities. Independent thinkers who are creative, confident and compassionate are the ones best prepared to go out into the world and make it a better place. When our students receive their results this summer at the end of their course of study, I hope that they will recognise the valuable attributes they have cultivated along the way – qualities that carry weight far beyond their grade certificates.
his August, thousands of young people across Cambridgeshire will open their emails and discover their examination
prepares young people for far more than success in the examination hall: it equips them for further education, the workplace and their adult lives. What a statement of results fails to capture is a student’s faculty for critical thinking, resilience and emotional intelligence. Critical thinking is one of the most valuable assets a young person can offer in an increasingly AI-enabled future. The ability to interrogate a source, analyse a range of evidence and resist defaulting to the easy answer will be highly rewarded in the modern workplace. A well-honed habit of questioning assumptions and challenging perceptions will ultimately have a much greater impact on their life than GCSE or A-level grades. In terms of resilience, as adults we understand that setbacks are survivable and often instructive; we all experience them, but how we navigate them is the true test of success. At its best, education builds
results. For the young people in years 11 and 13, it’s a significant moment: the culmination of years of academic dedication and personal growth. Grades matter. After all, they reward sustained effort, discipline and subject mastery. They open doors to future opportunities including university, apprenticeships and employment. However, while academic success is rightfully celebrated, what truly endures aren’t the dates, formulae or quotations memorised during study leave, but the character shaped while learning them. It is important to remember that this month’s results are simply a snapshot of a student’s performance under pressure, rather than a definitive measure of who they have become. The best education
What a statement of results fails to capture is a student’s critical thinking, resilience and emotional intelligence
stephenperse.com
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK AUGUST 2026 81
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