THE WAIT IS OVER AT LAST
PUPILS GET THEIR GRADES
Around 4,000 pupils across Renfrewshire collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief today when they finally received their results after a year like no other.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, final exams were all called off and grades had to be decided by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) based on estimations provided by school staff.
The unique situation led to an even more nervous wait than usual for some students, but there were plenty of smiles in the end as attainment in Renfrewshire increased in S4 at both National 4 and 5, with two-thirds of pupils now achieving three or more national 5 awards.
A rising number of S5 students are also now achieving National 5s and Highers, with more than a third of pupils securing three or more awards at Higher this year.
And in S6, Renfrewshire Council said attainment remained “high”, with students emulating strong performances in recent years.
Pupils at Linwood High School were delighted when they received their longawaited texts and emails this morning, with many of them now looking forward to the next chapter in their educational journeys.
S5 student Brooke Adam, 16, below, said: “I got six As and a B and I’m very happy with it. Next year I am doing five Highers and when I leave school I’d like to be either a paediatric doctor or a child’s nurse.
“It was a bit nerve- wracking because we didn’t sit exams so I didn’t have an idea of how I’d done, so that was a bit weird.”
Dylan Kidd, 17, who has just finished S6, said: “I sat four subjects this year all at Higher level and I got As in three of them and a B in the other.
“I’ll now be going on to Glasgow Caledonian University to do computer games design. Not having exams actually made the year less stressful as I didn’t have to worry about studying during the exam diet.”
Linwood High headteacher Gillian Macartney admitted it had been a challenging few months for her students but was delighted at what they had achieved.
She thanked parents, teachers and all the school staff for what they had done to help the pupils through an unprecedented situation.
“I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them,” said Ms Macartney.
“Our results have been improving year- on- year and that’s down to our work on raising attainment across the board. Our pupils have worked so hard and their results are well deserved.
“Our teachers and staff are incredibly dedicated and have supported our pupils to achieve the best outcome for them. “I would also like to thank parents for their continued support of the school and pupils. It has been a challenging few months for our whole school community and we are looking forward to returning and supporting our young people to achieve their goals.”
Councillor Jim Paterson, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s education and children’s services policy board, added: “I want to say well done to all our senior pupils. It’s been an incredibly tough year with exams being cancelled for the first time since the system started in Scotland.
“I hope you got the results you wanted.”