Two top students at academy on site of ‘UK’s worst school’

Two of the highest performing GCSE students in the country go to an academy in Hackney that was built on the site of the “worst school in Britain”.

Mayar Sabah and Lena Kesraoui of Mossbourne Community Academy both scored 12 grade 9s in their GCSEs. Data from Ofqual reveals just 13 students in England scored straight 9s in 12 or more GCSEs this year.

The success of Mossbourne is an example of how London schools have dramatically improved. It opened in 2004 on the site of Hackney Downs School, which had been branded the worst in Britain. Its first headteacher was Sir Michael Wilshaw, who went on to become the head of Ofsted.

A spokeswoman for the school said it has “redefined national expectations of what is possible to achieve in an inner-city, non-selective academy”.

Among the subjects that Mayar scored 9s in were history, German, economics and further maths, while Lena also scored 9s in latin and psychology.

They both plan to stay on at Mossbourne to study A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths and will both benefit from the school’s medical bursary programme which gives extra support worth up to £1,000 per student to help prepare them for careers in medicine.