On the morning of 14 June as the Grenfell Tower inferno raged on, 56 “shellshocked” pupils from the nearby Kensington Aldridge academy, many of whom had fled the fire just hours earlier, filed into a hastily rearranged exam hall to sit AS maths.

Today, two months after the tragedy which claimed the lives of at least 80 people including five of their fellow pupils, these teenagers will be among thousands who will wake up and receive their exam results.

For many, the school has become a beacon of hope in a shattered community. David Benson, the school’s headteacher, is hoping for an excellent set of results with a high proportion of As and Bs at AS-level in the school’s first ever public exams.



Praising the resilience shown by his students throughout the ordeal, he said: “I’ve been proud and inspired by what our students have done this year, being our first sixth formers. I’ve been even more proud and inspired by what they did in response to the fire.”

Four of his pupils, and one former pupil who had recently left the school, died in the blaze. A handful of other students who lived in the tower escaped with their lives – some with injuries – while others have been rehoused.

In total, 56 out of 60 students made it to the exam on 14 June. They were “shellshocked”, says Benson, and some in borrowed clothes but they still came.



Others studied during their convalescence, including Georgina Smith, a younger year 8 student, who diligently emailed her computer science homework to her teacher from her hospital bed.

Almost all have continued to turn up for their lessons – with attendance at 90%.

“The overwhelming majority of students were eager to get back to school,” says Benson. “They were eager to see their friends. They understood the importance of getting on with their learning and lessons.”

On the eve of the results, Benson, who has not had much of a break this summer, is a picture of exhaustion. “I’m not a great sleeper at the best of times,” he said. “It’s been really difficult – exhausting in many ways, but inspiring in many ways.”

The school opened in 2014 with a brief to deliver a rigorous and high-quality education for the children of north Kensington, as Mossbourne academy had in Hackney. It got off to a flying start and was quickly oversubscribed as its reputation spread. After the fire it was forced to abandon its state-of-the-art building in the shadow of the charred shell of Grenfell Tower but it stuck to its mission and the school reopened after just 48 hours.



Acting on expert advice, the aim was to get back to some kind of normality as soon as possible. In an extraordinary feat of organisation, pupils were divided between two neighbouring schools – Burlington Danes academy and Latymer Upper school – who agreed to accommodate all pupils until the end of term. A new timetable was drafted and teachers used Uber to get from site to site.

In September, in the next stage of recovery, the academy’s’s 960 pupils will move into a new, temporary school building, complete with dance studio, art rooms and science labs, a project that has kept Benson and his team busy during the summer holidays. The hope is that they will be able to move back into their own building, which is largely undamaged, some time next year.

The atmosphere in school has been sometimes subdued but the students’ response has been exemplary. “We honestly have not see any of that anger and bitterness that may or may not have been present on the streets of the local community,” said Benson.

Benson, whose energy levels pick up as he talks about his students, describes them as “brilliant, lovely and sparky”. A significant proportion of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds with 65% of the cohort attracting additional pupil premium funding, but many are expected to progress to the most competitive universities.

As a relatively new school, there are currently only students in years 7, 8, 9 and 12. The first A-levels will not be sat until next summer, and GCSEs the year after.

When AS results were published on Thursday, staff and students were delighted to discover that 62% of all entries were grade A-C, with 42% either A or B, placing KAA in the top 10% of schools for so-called “value added”, meaning students got on average one whole grade higher than national expectations. In French 75% of students were awarded either As or Bs. 89% got an A or B in religious studies, and 86% got A-C in English.

The Grenfell fire and its awful aftermath have only reinforced the school’s original mission. “We were built to serve this community. The community needs us to serve them more than ever now,” says Benson. Two of the school’s core values – resilience and citizenship – have never seemed more relevant.

Benson lives locally and was quickly on the scene of the fire after a colleague alerted him at 3.30am. “There was a number of us stood next to Grenfell and watching events unfold. I was very focused on problem solving.” He and his team swiftly set up a temporary office – and the operation to keep the school running began long before the flames were extinguished.

They organised comprehensive therapeutic support, with 15-20 counsellors available to support students, their parents and staff. Among the most difficult moments were the year assemblies, to explain events to pupils and celebrate the lives of those who had died.

“It was emotional,” admits Benson. “I remember seeing the kids leave the assembly ... I remember seeing them hug each other. This massive event had rocked the community and it’s still rocking the community.”

Then there were end-of-year exams and the final assembly before the summer holiday with a performance from the choir and the presentation of prizes and the house cup. “It was important to end the term on a positive note.”

The support has continued throughout the summer, with football camps and outward bound courses. The new site will not be ready until 18 September, so at the start of term pupils are going on a series of residential trips, including a sixth-form visit to Hertford College and Queen’s College, Oxford.

Some are excited about the prospect of trips away. Others are still mourning their friends. The end of term has been a milestone, the start of the new term will be another. “Everyone has dealt with this in a different way,” says Benson. “Every student, parent and teacher. There’s no right or appropriate way of feeling. Any emotion that you are feeling is valid.”