Congratulations are due to our Year 11 pupils on achieving a fantastic set of GCSE grades this year. In a year when debate has begun about the future of this qualification, the restrictions of COVID and unprecedented levels of anxiety about the manner of assessment combined to create a feeling of uncertainty, their performance is all the more impressive.
The grades achieved this year reflect the hard work put in by year 11s over the entire GCSE course and are not simply a snapshot of ability based on one single set of exams. They can feel very proud of their achievements on an individual and year group basis. The headline statistics make impressive reading with 26.3% of grades receiving the prestigious top grade of 9, and 65% of all grades receiving a grade in the 7-9 range, the old A*-A category.
In a year when all pupils have had to give of their best in trying circumstances we congratulate Year 11 on the depth and strength of their resilience and their outstanding performance in what remains a genuine academic challenge. Our thanks also go to parents who have supported our work and to the staff whose reassuring professionalism has been a constant in a testing year.
We are looking forward to working with many of these talented young people in the Sixth Form and hope that they can enjoy their last few weeks of holiday!
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
