Bradford City footballer scores straight 9s in her GCSEs
Elsa Foster, 16 (above), a student at Bradford Grammar School (BGS), gained 11 GCSEs at grade 9, adding to the grade 9 in French she secured when she was just 14.
Elsa has been playing football since she was five and plays midfield for Bradford City AFC Women’s Under-23 team. She loves sport and was part of BGS’s gold medal-winning team when she represented English schools in the ISF World Schools Cross Country Championships, in Slovakia, earlier this year.
Dr Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at BGS, said: “We’re all very proud of Elsa. She’s not only achieved athletic success, but she’s also excelled in her academic studies.”
Impressive results for top north-east public speakers
The north-east’s top young public speakers have celebrated a raft of impressive GCSE results. Arwen Jenkins, Imogen Golding-Douglass, Ben Patrick and Nasif Chowdhury, from Dame Allan’s Schools, in Newcastle, collected 32 grades 9–7 (A* to A) between them.
Just days before GCSEs began, the four teenagers formed one of 13 teams to travel to the University of Cambridge for the national final of the English Speaking Union (ESU) Churchill Public Speaking Competition – the largest contest of its kind, attracting some 400 teams from across England and Wales.
Royal Hospital School achieves decade-leading GCSE results
The Royal Hospital School in Ipswich has achieved its best GCSE results in the past decade (except for Teacher Assessed Grades in 2021). Ninety-seven per cent of the exams taken were graded 9–4 and over 45% were graded 9–7, surpassing the school’s previous highest results. Thirty-eight pupils achieved 9–7 grades in six or more subjects and 12 pupils were awarded 9–7 grades in every subject studied. Pupils achieved the highest proportion of grade 9s since the 9–1 grading system was introduced.
Simon Lockyer, headmaster, said: “Congratulations to our pupils on our best GCSE results in a decade. These results are a combination of hard work from pupils but also a reflection of the commitment and care of the teachers.”
St Mary’s student is highest performer in GCSE geography (OCR)
There were extra celebrations for one St Mary’s student, Anna Lawrence, who was named the highest performer in the country in the GCSE geography A examination by OCR.
Students at St Mary’s Senior School, Cambridge, were delighted to receive a stellar set of GCSE results, with an impressive 90% of grades awarded at 9–5 (A*–B) and 66% at 9–7 (A* or A).
Charlotte Avery, headmistress, said: “Despite the uncertainty we’ve all experienced, the sheer resilience of our students has shone through and will continue to stand them in great stead for the future.”
Badminton School students triumph in GCSEs
Badminton School year 11 pupils celebrated impressive GCSE examinations with 43% of all grades awarded at grade 9 and 32% of pupils achieving straight 9–8 grades – a record number achieving this feat at Badminton in the past five years.
The year 11 pupils continue to excel in the STEM subjects: 100% of grades awarded in further maths were at grade 8 or 9 and over 75% of grades awarded in the sciences, mathematics and computing were at grade 8 or 9.
Mr Dalley, acting head, said: “… these outstanding results are testament to the resilience and hard work of year 11. They haven’t let the trials of previous years hold them back and, for this, and the hard work and dedication they have shown in abundance, I am extremely proud.”
Top marks for Redmaids’ High School class of 2022
Year 11 students at Redmaids’ High School exceeded last year’s results with 94% of grades at 9–6 and 67% of grades at 8 or 9, the equivalent of a previous A*. In PE, music and textiles, 100% of students achieved 8s and 9s. In English, maths, biology, chemistry, business studies, drama, geography, food & nutrition, history and Latin over 60% of students achieved a grade 8 or 9. All students who studied art, German, Russian or religious studies were awarded grades 7–9. Tremendous results were achieved in dance with 79% of students gaining a grade 9.
Paul Dwyer, head, said: “The dedication [our students] have shown to their studies and the ways they have supported each other through two turbulent years has been admirable, and I am delighted that they have been richly rewarded for all their hard work… We’re incredibly proud of everything this year group has accomplished.”
Habs Girls’ and Boys’ Schools achieve outstanding GCSE results
At Habs Girls, 54% of the grades awarded were 9 and 91% 7–9, and at Habs Boys 61% of the grades awarded were 9 and 95% 7–9.
Rose Hardy, headmistress, Habs Girls and Gus Lock, headmaster, Habs Boys, commented: “Congratulations to our year 11 students on their outstanding GCSE results. After navigating two national lockdowns, these results are testament to the resilience and hard work of all our students.
“We are also indebted to all our staff for their unwavering support to our students through this unprecedented time in the history of education.”
From September, the GCSE cohort will be the first students at Habs Girls and Habs Boys who will be taught their A-levels in co-educational classes, with students studying at least one A-level in mixed gender classes across at the other school.
Millfield GCSE and BTEC students celebrate outstanding results
Millfield year 11 students celebrated receiving their GCSE and BTEC results, following the return to exams this year. “This year’s year 11 cohort have all shown incredible dedication, hard work and resolve to achieve today’s set of fantastic results,” said the school. Of note, Armani Tanna was the year group’s top achiever, receiving an incredible 10 grade 9s and a B in additional maths.
Millfield headmaster Gavin Horgan said, “Our year 11 students should be very proud of their exam results. They have not had the easiest two years of study but the resilience and adaptability they have had to find to succeed are important skills they will need for their future studies and working lives.
“We wish them all the best in the sixth form and encourage them to follow their curiosity to keep discovering new passions and interests that will shape the direction they take in the future.”
