GCSE RESULTS SPECIAL
Last Thursday, students found out how they did in the new look GCSEs. GEMMA DAVIDSON and PHIL CREIGHTON visited the borough’s schools to join them celebrate
STUDENTS from across Wokingham Borough and beyond are celebrating an impressive haul of GCSE results, despite a lot of changes to the curriculum.
Students at The Bulmershe School, in Woodlands Avenue, were seeing stars with 24% of students achieving A*s and As, or new levels 9 and 8.
Outgoing headteacher Emma Reynolds, who was at the school to see her pupils pick up their results, said she was ‘delighted’ with the results.
She said: “This is the first time students have been assessed under the new grading system and, as predicted, our students and staff have risen to the challenge. Within this year group, our girls have performed particularly well on all levels as have our upper band students.”
Students and staff at Oakbank School, in Ryeish Green are celebrating their first ever results day.
Principal Maggie Segrove said the results were ‘absolutely amazing’: “The class of 2017, Oakbank’s first cohort of GCSE students, has achieved great success.
“We are so proud of them and the talented team of staff who supported them to ensure that every student has achieved the results they need to move onto their next destination.”
A sleepless night turned out for the best for Chloe Griffiths. She obtained four
As, two Bs and a 6/8/9 for maths and English.
“It was more than I expected – I’m very happy,” she said. “I had a bit of a sleepless night but my results today mean I can go to The Forest School to study maths, business and psychology.”
A number of boys from Reading Blue Coat School, in Sonning Lane, celebrated their results at Reading Festival this weekend.
Chris Peat, Henry O'Brien and Ronnie Jha were the top scorers of the day, taking home 10 A*s and 1A each.
Chris said: “I’d really like to go into aviation, so I am hoping to study Physics, Maths, History and French at A Level.
“I did much better than I was expecting, I was hoping for a few A*s but I didn’t think I would be standing here with these results.”
The school is celebrating a bumper year for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
Dr Magill, Deputy Head (Academic) said: “It is very satisfying to see these strong results. I am proud of our pupils who have worked hard to achieve another set of excellent GCSE results for the School, and of course there are many individual success stories as well.”
Headmaster Jesse Elzinga said: “This is another fine set of GCSEs for Blue Coat, and I am immensely proud of the diligent work of our pupils and staff.
“The pupils at this school enjoy a rich co-curricular programme, but we also take academic achievement seriously, and these results show just how committed this community is to excellence.”
Pupils at The Piggott School, in Wargrave Road, were celebrating a 100% pass rate in seven subjects.
Every student who took Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, Computer Science, Electronics, Photography and Physics at the school passed.
96% of students who took English Literature passed, with 89% passing English Language, and 89% passed Maths at the new Level 4 or above.
86.5% of students scored at least 5 A* to C grades, including English and Maths, which is the school's best ever result.
Headteacher Derren Gray said: “Our students and staff work exceptionally hard and this is evidenced once again in this year’s results. The huge majority of our students will be returning to study at our sixth form, together with a significant number of external candidates in September.”
Students at The Holt School, in Holt Lane, gathered together to collect their results on Thursday.
Students said that they were celebrating but the traditional thrill of opening the envelope and seeing the grades was delayed as they interpreted the new numerical gradings for English and Maths.
Connie McCafferty obtained three A*s, three As, a B and 7/8/9 for maths and English.
“I’m happy, it means I can study biology, chemistry and maths next year,” she said.
Students at Waingels College, in Waingels Road, were celebrating another bumper year, despite not knowing what to expect.
Headteacher Tom Bartlett said: “The results are very, very good. We are relieved more than anything as we really didn’t know what to expect from the new curriculum.
“What we are especially chuffed about is the progress of some of our students who have excelled themselves in certain subjects, and lifted their predicted grades to much higher ones.”
Star pupil Erin Lee was ecstatic with her 10 A*s and 1A.
She said: “I did much better than I expected, I can’t quite take it in. I’m looking forward to coming back for Sixth Form.”
Maiden Erlegh School, in Silverdale Road, was buzzing with students collecting their GCSE results – and their school yearbook. Hundreds of pupils turned up to find out how they and their friends did with the new-style results.
The school’s headteacher was pleased with the results, which were way above the national average.
Aaron Rowe is one of the children celebrating. He obtained two A*s, three As, a B and a C, and 7/8/9 for maths and English.
“I’m really happy, it’s better than I’d expected,” he said.
He will go on to study history, sociology, maths and biology for A Level, with a view to reading Law at university.
Forest School students had music on their minds: the school said that a lot of the pupils were attending Reading Festival and had come back to get their results before heading back to Caversham to pick up the partying from where they had left off.
Mark Jordan, the Winnersh school’s year director, paid tribute to the hard work – not just from the pupils, but from parents and staff as well.
He explained that the results at Forest had been boosted by a range of initiatives including breakfast revision sessions, having outside speakers come in and have parents lend a hand too.
“The boys have really stepped up,” he said. “Everyone has worked together for this.
“We’re really pleased with the performance of the boys. The majority will be back here in September.”
Eighty-four students at Leighton Park School, in Shinfield Road, queued up at 8am to pick up their results.
And students had reason to celebrate, with everyone single one of them gaining a pass in at least five subjects.
STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) were particularly successful with A*-B grades in Maths (82.9%), Chemistry (70.4%), Physics (76.6%), Biology (64.6%) and DT (81.8%).
Josh Butcher who achieved A*s in all three sciences, along with
a further 4A*s and 3As, was delighted with his results, “I’m so happy,” he said, “I’m really, really pleased!”
Headteacher Nigel Williams said: "I am really pleased that so many individual students have realised their potential through their good grades. I congratulate them on their success, achieved through their hard work and the dedication and skill of their teachers.”
LVS Ascot achieved an A* or A grade rate of 30% for the first time.
The success was shared by all students, with 85.5% of all papers achieving A* - C grades (83.8% last year) and 93.2% of students recording five or more A* - C grades, up from 90.1% in 2016. 13% of all students received at least three A* grades.
Tom Reid had more reason than most to celebrate after sitting a number of exams in hospital whilst paralysed by an infection. In April he fell ill with a bacterial disease that attacked his spine and brain.
He was told at John Radcliffe hospital to forget his exams this year as he wouldn’t be able to sit them, and may end up wheelchair-bound for life. LVS Ascot supported Tom’s determination to focus on and still sit his exams, and worked with the hospital and exam board to make it happen, resulting in an A, five Bs and three Cs.
During his initial exams
Tom required a scribe to write for him and someone to read the exam questions due to his paralysis. As he improved he worked on his handwriting and was able to take some exams independently.
His mother Melanie said:
“I’m hugely proud of Tom. The school has been amazingly supportive and nurtured Tom to the position he is in today.
"The support he has had from the school has been incredible. So much so Tom is now going to stay here for A-Levels rather than go to Henley College where he was going to attend. Tom has exceeded my expectations; I am bursting with pride”.
Principal Christine Cunniffe said: “I am extremely proud of all of our GCSE students who have shown that hard work produces excellent results, and of our teaching staff for inspiring them to exceed their expectations.
“To be over 30% for A* and A grades is an amazing achievement and was the high point of a really good set of results. I am delighted that the majority of students will be staying on to LVS Ascot’s new sixth form centre which opens in September.”
Pupils and staff at Edgbarrow School, in Crowthorne, were 'absolutely delighted' with their results this morning.
A total of 84% of students achieved at least a level 4 in both English and Maths, with 29% of all exam entries being graded A/A* and 7 of better.
Headteacher Robert
Elsey said: “We would like to congratulate all our students for their hard work and we are very grateful to families for all their magnificent support.
“A special thanks goes to all our staff for their total commitment to the students throughout the year, as they have guided and supported students to secure strong results in a changing landscape.
“We are very pleased that a large number of students have places in our sixth form and we look forward to working with them next year. Other students have also secured places at local colleges and on highly competitive apprenticeships. We wish them every success for their future.”