Examination results offer an important snapshot of what pupils have achieved, but they only tell part of the story. Behind every grade are hours of teaching, conversations with pupils, moments of challenge, individual support and decisions about how each pupil can move forward.
To explore what sits behind these results, we spoke to two key members of our academic leadership team: Axel Removille, Assistant Principal (Pupil Progression & Pathways), and Grace Piana, Deputy Principal (Academic). From the academic culture we are building to the individual support pupils receive along the way, they share their perspectives on what helps our pupils make progress and achieve their goals.
What good academic practice looks like at RSJ
When you look at this year’s IGCSE and A Level results, what do they tell you about the academic culture we are building at RSJ?
Grace: RSJ’s 2025-26 results clearly show that strong academic outcomes are now a recurring and trustworthy pillar of the RSJ experience. Every child matters, and the school is committed to an individual approach to pupil progress, ensuring outcomes reflect personal academic progress and challenging every pupil to reach their potential. Academic success is not our headline; it is the foundation of what we offer at RSJ and our teachers work tirelessly to extend pupil horizons and look beyond their secondary education to their future.
How do our teachers balance maintaining high academic expectations with recognising that every pupil learns differently?
Grace: At RSJ, differentiation is at the heart of our lesson culture. Every child is different, and every child learns differently. This does not mean academic expectations change, or the goal is necessarily lowered. We have a strong Personalised Learning department that tirelessly supports both pupils and staff, with specialised departments in English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs. This team provides guidance, support and individualised interventions for all pupils who need it. Teaching staff are trained through rigorous professional development programs in how to ensure all learners within the classroom are catered for and continually challenged.
How we adapt that environment to different pupils
Results like these do not happen overnight. What do you think were some of the key factors that helped our pupils achieve such strong outcomes?
Axel: A few things working together. We get to know each pupil early and well, so we can offer the right support or the right challenge before problems build up rather than after. Our house and tutor system means every pupil has an adult who knows them beyond the classroom, and that matters most when things get hard in the final two years. And our teachers stay close to each pupil’s progress, so if someone starts to struggle, we notice and act quickly rather than waiting for the next report.
Every pupil has a different starting point, strengths, and challenges. How does RSJ support pupils in making progress towards their individual goals?
Axel: It starts with really knowing each pupil: their strengths, their worries, what motivates them. From there, support looks different from one pupil to the next. Some need extra help with English or additional learning support; others need to be pushed further because they’re capable of more than the syllabus alone offers; many need a bit of both, depending on the subject. What matters is that no pupil’s progress rests with one person alone. Their tutor, their teachers and their house team are all watching out for them, so if something changes, someone notices.
What pupils are developing beyond examination knowledge
What do you think makes the academic experience at RSJ particularly effective in helping pupils reach their potential?
Grace: At RSJ we follow a British curriculum with a British approach to educational pedagogy. Asking questions, being curious and discussing concepts are the backbone of all our lessons. We teach pupils how to be active participants in the world and their learning. Pupils will be thoroughly prepared in how to write a well structured, persuasive essay, but they will also be confident in debating, presenting and questioning the established narrative on the topic as well.
What lessons can we take from last year’s results as we look to build on this momentum in the new academic year?
Grace: Last year we saw significant success, especially at A Level and in our University destinations. In terms of lessons, this has taught us to aim high, be confident and continue to pursue excellence. These are moral values we continue to instil in our current examination years.
How we continue to improve what we offer
Beyond grades, what do you hope our pupils take away from their time at RSJ as they prepare to move on to university and beyond?
Axel: I hope they leave knowing how to cope with real pressure, because juggling exams and university applications all at once is genuinely demanding, and coming through that well is an education in itself. I hope they take with them the relationships with tutors and teachers who believed in them even when they doubted themselves, because university and adult life will ask that of them again. And most of all, I hope they carry a quiet confidence that what they achieved was earned, through their own effort and resilience, because that’s what stays with them long after they leave RSJ.
What are some of the academic developments or opportunities pupils can look forward to this year?
Grace: This year we have a host of academic opportunities. To list a few: a group of our pupils are heading to Vietnam to participate in the Global Round of the World Scholar’s Cup, after excelling in the Japan round. Shortly after this, a small cohort of pupils are travelling to Rugby UK to take part in the Academic Conference, a celebration of academic excellence and research. Our internal Academic Forum runs fortnightly, with presentations from staff, pupils and guest speakers. We are celebrating two of our Year 13 pupils who recently completed an internship at the University of Tokyo with a presentation and reading of their thesis, attended by their Professors and the Dean of the University. This year we also are joined by Hydroponics, Robotics, Sustainable Action Club and Model United Nations enrichment opportunities, led by outside experts.
As we begin a new academic year, what are you most excited about when you look ahead to the pupils currently working towards their next set of milestones?
Axel: Watching this year’s pupils benefit from everything last year’s group taught us: noticing things earlier, supporting pupils more closely, and understanding each of them a little better before the pressure really builds. There’s a lovely energy at the start of a new year, especially among our oldest pupils heading into their final stretch, and I always look forward to seeing who surprises us. It’s also a particularly exciting moment for our Sixth Form, which is now bigger than it has ever been, and most of these pupils have been with us since RSJ first opened its doors. Watching them grow from their very first days here into confident young adults preparing for university is something I never take for granted.
