Poetry has a central place in the curriculum from the earliest years at Heritage, helping pupils to attend closely to language, rhythm, imagery and meaning, and to encounter some of the best that has been written.

So on 2 October, National Poetry Day, we were delighted to welcome local poet Lindsay Fursland, who began the day with a special Senior School assembly. He shared some of his own work and reflected on the process of writing poetry, before leading workshops throughout the day.

Pupils experimented with different ways of getting started, responded to visual prompts through ekphrastic poetry, and thought carefully about drafting, rewriting and refining their work. Many were keen to share what they had written and to ask Lindsay questions about poetry beyond the classroom.

Year 11 took a different approach, with a university-style unseen poetry lesson using poems in foreign languages to focus attention on structure, punctuation and form rather than meaning alone.

And poetry spilled into the rest of the school day too, with teachers opening lessons by sharing poems of their own choice – some familiar, some unexpected, and even a few written by teachers themselves.

It made for a wonderfully lively celebration of language, imagination and close attention.

Thank you, Lindsay, for giving your time so generously and for helping make such a memorable day.

Heritage School is celebrating its best-ever GCSE results, with the 2026 Year 11 cohort achieving a remarkable 87% of grades at 9–7 (A–A*). Reflecting on this achievement, Headmaster Jason Fletcher said, “These outstanding results demonstrate something central to what we believe at Heritage: parents do not need to choose between high academic achievement and a balanced, personalised and rich education. They also show that screen-free learning delivers.”

Exceptional results

The impact of a Heritage education relative to national standards is striking:

• 87% of grades awarded at 9–7, compared with 47% across independent schools and 23% nationally
• 69% of grades awarded at 9–8, compared with 12% nationally
• 43% of grades awarded a grade 9, compared with 5% nationally
• 9 pupils achieving five or more grade 9s
• 2 pupils achieving grade 9 in all ten of their subjects

These achievements build on a strong track record. Since Heritage’s first Year 11 cohort took GCSEs in 2016, 74% of all I/GCSE grades achieved by Heritage pupils have been awarded at grades 7–9 (A–A*).

The school’s value-added data also demonstrates the the impact of a Heritage education. Across the seven years for which data is available, Heritage pupils have achieved an average of 1.3 grades higher in every GCSE than their baseline assessments predicted.

Education for the whole person

For Mr Fletcher, the significance of the results goes beyond examination performance. “Our pupils thrive because they are taught within the unique ethos of Heritage School, one that focuses above all on the healthy formation of the whole person.”

The 2026 leavers are now moving on to a range of sixth-form settings, including The Perse School, Stephen Perse Sixth Form, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Comberton Sixth Form, Chesterton Sixth Form, Long Road Sixth Form College and Saffron Walden County High School.

As Heritage prepares to begin its 20th year, the school is proud to celebrate the achievements of this year’s leavers and the staff who have supported them throughout their time at Heritage.

In his message to the school community, Mr Fletcher said, “Above all, congratulations to our Year 11 leavers. We are enormously proud of them. And a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated staff, whose care, expertise and commitment have supported these pupils throughout their time at Heritage.”

Find out more: Heritage School exam results and value-added data

Explore our alumni destinations: Where our alumni go after Heritage