Students have the world at their feet!
GCSE students across Bath and North East Somerset whose studies were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic have been praised for their resilience.
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for children, young people, communities and culture, said: “I would like to congratulate all students on their GCSE achievements and thank schools for the support they have provided to our students this year.
“The pandemic has been incredibly tough on young people but they have shown resilience and today many will be celebrating their results and looking ahead to decide what next for their future.
“Bath and North East Somerset schools always perform strongly in examination results, so I am enormously excited for all those students taking the next steps in their lives.
“For those students whose results aren’t what you expected please don’t panic or worry, there are lots of options available to you. Take advantage of the wealth of advice and support available – your school or college will be able to signpost you to the most appropriate service for your needs.”
Hayesfield Girls
Despite the disruption throughout the majority of their GCSE studies, this cohort of students have shown that they have the resilience and determination required to achieve their personal best and match the high standards set by previous cohorts in a long history of impressive GCSE results at Hayesfield, says the school.
Head of school Philip White said: “We are incredibly proud of all of our students. They have been relentlessly positive throughout these challenging times and have shown desire and drive to achieve an outstanding set of outcomes. Our students can move forward onto the next stage of their academic journey with confidence and pride knowing they have such a strong foundation in place.”
The school reported that 38% of students achieved a staggering eight or more GCSES at the top grades of 7-9 (that’s A and A* in old money). Some 92% of all students secured a Grade 4 or above in the Basics (English and maths), nearly 80% secured a strong pass and an impressive 102 students secured Grades 7-9 in both of these key subjects.
In total, 96% of students gained five or more standard passes at GCSE with 79% of all students gaining five or more strong passes, including English and maths at grades 5 and above. And 58% of all grades were at grade 7 and above and 87% were at a strong pass with 96% of all grades at standard pass (grade 4).
Top GCSE achievers included: Lucy Phillips, who achieved 11 GCSES all at the prestigious grade 9, with Caitlin Bellworthy and Holly Powell gaining an impressive 10 GCSES at grade 9. Amie Clark achieved a clean sweep of nine grade 9s. Sarah Clark and Lily Burgess achieved nine GCSES at grade 9 with a further two grade 8s. Sarah also gained the highest grade (A*) in the demanding Higher Project Qualification.
Other high achievers, who all gained 9 or more at the top grades of 7-9, are: Rebecca Ostrey, Amy Parsons, Darcey Curry, Jasmine Nsirim, Saffron Gelbier-bull, Cerys Miller, Scarlett Chadda, Alysia Thakrar, Amelia Beare, Liberty Dawes, Larissa Carter, Maria Ramadan, Annie Chambers, Madeline Brady, Rosie Meates, Raveena Tangella and Elise Wallace.
Executive headteacher Emma Yates said: “All of our students deserve recognition for their achievements and it has been a pleasure to see how our students quickly adapted their working habits to make the most of all the changes that came their way over the last two years.
“It has been heartening to see how our students worked with their teachers to overcome obstacles to meet the demanding requirements set by the exam boards.”
King Edward’s School
This year’s GCSE pupils deserve great praise not just for an outstanding set of results, but also for the way in which they approached the challenges that they have faced over the last 16 months.
The school adds that the fact these results are so strong is a reflection of tremendous hard work and focus from very capable pupils, wonderful direction, help and guidance from committed staff and great encouragement and support from friends and family members.
Headmaster Martin Boden said: “It was a pleasure seeing so many happy faces this morning; indeed, I’m not sure I’ve heard quite so many shrieks of joy on a results day!
“I am delighted that, after all that they have been through, our GCSE pupils are now able to celebrate a remarkable level of success that has been truly hard earned. It was particularly heartening to see so many of the year group clearly genuinely thrilled at their friends’ achievements, as well as their own.
“Everyone involved in this process in this unprecedented year can feel very proud of what has been accomplished. I congratulate this talented Year 11 cohort and wish them all the best as they move on to the next stage in their education.”
Kingswood School
Students at Kingswood School are celebrating very strong GCSE/ IGCSE results this year, with 57% of all results awarded at grades 9 and 8, and 77% at grades 9-7.
The school said that results have been excellent across the breadth
of the curriculum with the sciences, humanities and creative arts all enjoying stellar results.
Headmaster Andrew Gordonbrown said: “We are celebrating outstanding results for our Year 11 cohort, who have coped admirably with the uniquely challenging circumstances over the last two academic years.
“Our students can be very proud of the manner in which they responded to our robust internal assessment process, showing excellent knowledge and skills and reaping the reward of their hard work. As ever, this has been a wonderful team effort and I am very grateful for the professionalism and dedication of our teachers in their support for our students.
“I take my hat off to the many students in this cohort who rose above the difficult backdrop, making the most of the opportunities to develop character outside the classroom. We look forward now to welcoming them back to start life in the sixth form, secure in the knowledge of a strong performance at GCSE, when they can continue to fulfil their talents as leaders and role models across all areas of school life.”
Beechen Cliff
Deputy head Tim Markall said: “These results are thoroughly deserved and testament to our pupils’ perseverance and hard work over the last two years, and through all the disruption of the pandemic.
“We are really proud of all they have achieved and pleased they can move on to their next steps in their education. I am also really grateful to all the staff at school for all their efforts to support our pupils through the last year.”
Oldfield School
A school spokesperson said: “In what has been an incredibly challenging year for Year 11 students, Oldfield School are delighted to be able to celebrate their achievement in their GCSES today. “The results for the cohort as a whole are excellent and this is reflected in their resilience and determination to succeed despite the difficult circumstances that they have faced, with over 80% of entries being grade 4 or higher, 29% grades 7 or higher and 55% of the year group achieving grade 5 or higher in both English and maths. “Special mention goes to Joshua Williams (pictured) who achieved 8 grade 9s and one grade 8, Nathan Finch, Head Boy, who got eight grade 9s and two grade 8s, and Molly Lander who got five grade 9s and five grade 8s and Leyla Othman with five grade 9s, four grade 8s and one grade 7.” Headteacher Steven Mackay said: “A huge congratulations to all students today. We are very much looking forward to welcoming back those students who are joining our sixth form in September and wish all the best for those students who are continuing their studies or training in other settings or employment.”
St Mark’s Church of England School
Headteacher Barnaby Ash said: “We are immensely proud of the achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year.
“Our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.
“I would like to thank our amazing staff team for all of their hard work with our students last year; they have been incredible in supporting our students. Our Class of 2021 deserve great credit for their outstanding achievements.”