Royal High School
MORE than half of all the GCSE/ IGCSE examinations taken at the Royal High School in Bath were awarded the top A*-A and 9 and 8 grades (50.4%) with an impressive overall A*-C (and numerical equivalent) pass rate of 96%. More than one in three (31.9%) of the new numerically graded exams taken was awarded the new ‘9’ grading, equivalent to the top 20% of the previous A* banding. Students Olivia Padwick, Ava Spencer-jones and Alyssa Mcgoldrick, all from Bath, who recorded five A* grades and five 9 grades apiece as they all scooped the 10 top grades possible in their exams. Girls performed well across the core subjects: in English Language and English Literature, a remarkable 71% and 79% of all girls achieved an 8 or a 9 and in Mathematics, more than five in ten (54%) scored a 7, 8 or 9 grade – well over double the national figure of 20% last year. In modern foreign languages, the Royal High School continues to shine and buck the national trend of a decline in the subjects with high percentages achieving A*/A in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Headteacher Jo Duncan said: “It is - and will be - difficult to compare year on year results as we are in the middle of a period of change in the examination system but, as far as the very top grades go, we are well above our A* performance of 2017 – which is a fantastic achievement for our girls – who – like all other young people in England today – have been faced with wholescale changes in the examination system – through the reformed GCSES and the new grading.”