King’s School, Macclesfield: Moving Up the Ranks in Sunday Times Guide
“Happy children make good learners,” is a major factor behind academic success according to The King’s School Head, Jason Slack.
This week, the 521-year-old school recorded its highest ever position in the influential Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 Guide, coming fourth from all the independent secondary schools across the North West.
King’s jumped up from seventh after bucking the national trend in this summer’s GCSE and A Levels. At GCSE, 43% of all grades were at A* up from 40% the previous year. At A Level, a third of students achieved at least one A* with the same number gaining at least three As, all achieved despite more rigorous external assessment with higher grade boundaries post Covid.
Jason Slack, who took over the headship four years ago, was the first to say: “There is so much more to a school than any league table position, but nonetheless this is a very pleasing outcome.
“We have very strong teaching with very well qualified and experienced teachers making sure the children learn what they need to know. More than that, we continually emphasise the broader skills, enabling children to take responsibility for their own learning.
“We were the first school nationwide to gain the Learning Quality Framework’s Gold Standard which underlines using creative and innovative methods of teaching to make sure children better understand and remember knowledge. It’s not just about giving the children facts and expecting them to absorb that knowledge but enabling them to discover and explore knowledge for themselves by prompting and guiding them.”
He added: “However, most importantly, a key mantra at King’s is creating community spirit and ensuring the children are happy. We aim to ensure that whatever sparks and motivates a child’s interest is fed inside and outside the classroom. It’s a complete package because we know happy children make good learners.”
Jason also paid tribute to his team’s response to relocation from its two former town centre sites to its new 80-acre rural location in Prestbury: “We worked tirelessly to ensure the school opened on 1st September 2020 despite the Covid pandemic and school closures of that year. Our new campus is now a hub for local sports provision with more than 60 clubs, groups and charities all benefitting from these fabulous facilities in the evenings, weekends and school holidays. It gives everyone an important sense of loyalty, and stability and I think we are truly a real asset for the community.”
