GCSE results day
GCSE students across the district are finding out if all their hard work has paid off this morning.
Nationally top grades of 7 or above (equating to As and above) have risen, despite the disruption the pandemic has had on many pupils’ education.
As with last year’s results, grades have been based on teacher assessments rather than exams.
Around 6,240 students have completed GCSE courses this year at schools around Warwickshire and early results, arising during the course of the day, are indicating a very positive picture across the county.
Here’s the news from results day across the district as we get it:
Clive Sentance, principal at Alcester Grammar
"The time since March 2020 has been extraordinary and this group of students are to be congratulated on their hard work, resilience and commitment. They have all faced considerable challenges over the course of the pandemic and their positive attitude has been exemplary.”
“This year, following the cancellation of external exams, there was an extensive and thorough system of teacher assessment against a national standard, with all processes approved by the exam boards who then awarded the grades. The school staff have worked tirelessly to operate a transparent, fair and rigorous assessment process to complement the high quality remote and face-to face education over the course of the year.”
Gavin Saunders, headteacher at Shipston High School
“We are immensely proud of all the work and achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. Our students, supported by their families and teachers, have worked with real commitment to ensure they can pursue their ambitions in education, training and employment and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”
Bennet Carr, headmaaster at King Edward VI School
“There is no doubt that the success of our students at GCSE this year is richly deserved. They have faced significant adversity over the last two years, but with resilience and fortitude have achieved outcomes of which they can be extremely proud. Their outstanding efforts, and those of their teachers, particularly during the periods of School Closure, have ensured that they have an excellent foundation on which to build success at A Level. I look forward to following their progress alongside those who join us in the Sixth Form.
Sarah Mellors, headteacher at Alcester Academy
"We are delighted to see that the hard work and commitment from the Year 11 students at Alcester Academy has been recognised in the outcomes for 2021 in-spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic over the last two academic years.
"The staff at the academy have provided these students with a superb quality of education and pastoral support throughout this difficult period both in school and on-line when required. This, mixed with the sheer determination and resilience of our amazing students, has helped them to aspire to their post 16 destinations. They deserve this success so much. We are extremely proud of them all and wish them every success for the future."
Helen Bridge, headteacher at Kineton High School
"Congratulations to our class of 2021! They have been exceptional in the way they’ve coped and have achieved excellent, well-deserved results. Thank you to all the staff and parents who’ve supported them along the way.”
Jacqui Cornell, headteacher at Stratford Girls Grammar School
"Again this year, our Year 11 students and our staff have demonstrated great character in how they have adapted to the changes and uncertainties brought about by events over the last eighteen months. These results are theirs to own as they evidence their efforts and creations – they should be very proud. Results day is a rite of passage and we encourage our students to celebrate all that has been achieved. Their results today have placed them in the best possible position to begin the next phase of their journey to their chosen long-term destination: university, higher apprenticeship or the world of work.
"In light of the national picture and the difficulties faced by all over the last eighteen months, we heartily congratulate all who secured 9s across their best eight GCSEs: a phenomenal achievement in any year. Our Year 11 students have been asked to respond to circumstances beyond their control in ways previously unencountered, and they have met that challenge head on with courage and determination. We are proud of what they have achieved and are delighted that many of them are choosing to continue on into our Sixth Form. I am very much looking forward to celebrating their ongoing successes with them."
John Sanderson, principal at Chipping Campden School
"I’m delighted to see so many students being awarded the GCSE grades they richly deserve. They have had so much to cope with over the last 18 months and clearly overcame a great many challenges along the way.
"Both students and staff have worked extremely hard and have every reason to feel proud of their achievements this year.
“With such encouraging grades we are really looking forward to welcoming so many of our students, along with others from surrounding schools, back into our sixth form in September”.
Neil Wallace, headteacher at Stratford School
“We are immensely proud of the resilience and adaptability our students have shown, whether learning online or face to face, throughout their GCSE’s and wish them all the very best going forwards. We are delighted to release what we feel are fair and accurate outcomes for the Class of 2021. These grades are a robust professional view of what individuals have achieved. Staff have worked extremely hard to develop systems of assessment to compensate for the lack of contingency planning by the government over the last year and their decision to effectively eliminate coursework.
"If we’ve learned anything from the impact the pandemic has had on education, it is surely that our current system has become far too obsessed with terminal examinations and league tables that are used to drive accountability measures. The sad truth is that in reality our system is configured to consign a third of young people to leaving school feeling that they have fallen short.
"Traditionally the focus on results day falls on high achieving individuals jumping for joy, rather than the ‘Forgotten Third’. Lessons from the current situation must surely lead us to question whether government is making us assess learning in the most appropriate way. In the longer term, we have to think again about our fixation on an exam-driven system. In the 21st Century, we remain wedded to a high-stakes examination system that is rooted in the 1950s.
"The time has come for the government to use this opportunity to revolutionise assessment in education, utilise technology and provide a variety of assessment approaches. How many jobs rely on people sitting down and providing a handwritten response for two hours based on memory? Our political leaders need to think more creatively. Exams have their place, but they should only be part of a balanced portfolio of evidence that determines grades in future. Alas, in the meantime, schools are constrained to work within the current system."