There were plenty of tears, smiles and sighs of relief from students and their parents at St. John’s Marlborough and Pewsey Vale School as students collected their GCSE results and opened the dreaded brown envelope.
St John’s Headteacher, Dan Rogan, said “I am so proud of this year’s GCSE students. They have had to work really hard to get to grips with the new 9-1 GCSEs. It’s been great to see the work our staff have put in to support these students paying dividends and we look forward to seeing many of Year 11 staying with us in the Sixth Form to study A-levels and vocational courses. We are very lucky to have such great support from parents too and we look forward to continuing this successful partnership.”
At St John’s a record-breaking 74% of students achieved 5 or more good passes including English and Maths. Almost 30% of grades were achieved at grade 7 or above thus allowing students to move into the school’s sixth form or continue their studies elsewhere.
An amazing 38 students achieved at least eight grades 7 and above. Top performer at St John’s, Ciara Beale, attained nine Grade 9’s an A* and even an A** in Further Maths.
Other high achievers included Fabian Avis, Sayuni Bamunugama, Holly Clarke, Alice Compton, Benedict Edmondson, Nicole Franklin, Emily Giles, Ed Golder, Lucy Jones and Daniel Rean, also known as Belikin of Team Queso, who is taking time out of the start of Year 12 to compete for the top Spanish Clash Royale team.
There were plenty of pleasant surprises. Alice Hogan was particularly excited to gain a Grade 9 in History and 8 in English Language, while friend, Tess Mayer was relieved to have passed Maths and excited to receive Grade 8 in Spanish. Both girls will stay at St John’s to study for A-levels.
Reece Davidson, was particularly pleased with his Grade 8 in Maths and 7’s in Science. “I can now study Biology, Chemistry, D.T. and Physics for A-level in the sixth form,” he said.
The following students all achieved, on average, two grades higher than expected in each of their subjects: Lily Spooner, Ellie Tull, Livvy Eden, Reece Davidson, Hettie Mears, Evie Baggaley, Oli Hone, Matt Bonser, Kiera O’Malley, Sam Dryland, Martha Duncan-Zaleski, Dylan Jimenez-Aldridge and Caradoc Gayer.
“These students have made the most progress in their time with us and are also cause for celebration,” commented Dan Rogan.
This summer is the second year of the new GCSE’s which are graded 9 to 1 in place of A* to E. Twenty more subjects joined the three reformed subjects from last year. According to Ofqual there are fewer grade 9’s than A* in previous years. This is because there are now three grades (9, 8 and 7) whereas previously there were only two (A* and A) to differentiate the most able students.
The new GCSEs contain more challenging content but they are, say Ofqual, designed for the same range of students. The new GCSEs are 100% exam based in most subjects. The days of coursework contributing to the final grade are over.
At Pewsey Vale School, sixty five students received their results and congratulations from Headteacher, Neil Pritchard. He told marlborough.news, “I’m very very pleased and proud of our students. Whole school attainment has gone up significantly despite the tougher exams.”
“There have been particularly impressive performances by Jasmin Awoodun, Josh Dods, Oliver England and Daniel Martin who have achieved the highest grades possible in a variety of subjects… I now wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavours.”
Pewsey Vale students go on to many different post-16 destinations including Bishops Wordsworth, New College, Swindon, St John’s, Lackham College, Read College, the army and various apprenticeships.
Headboy, Oliver England, said, “I’m really happy I’ve achieved all 8’s and 9’s which means I can take up the scholarship I’ve been offered to attend Marlborough College to study Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Philosophy at A-level.”
Jasmin Awoodun said, “I have six grade 9’s, I can’t believe it.” Jasmin is heading to New College to study English Language, Fine Art, Biology and Psychology at A-level.
Governor, Caroline Dalrymple, said, “This is such a good and happy school to be associated with. The staff and students are brilliant. I’m so pleased the results are exciting.”
Neil Pritchard, Headteacher, commented, “I am excited about this coming year with Pewsey Vale School continuing on its upward trajectory and I look forward to our future successes. We now preparing for another busy year of achievement and welcome prospective parents to come to meet us on Wednesday September 19 for our Open Evening.