GCSE results day for thousands of pupils at Kent schools and colleges

Thousands of youngsters across Kent are discovering their GCSE grades this morning, with one school already achieving its best-ever set of results and another celebrating its first-ever set of grades.

Schools and colleges are welcoming Year 11 pupils back today to open their envelopes and reveal those all-important grades.

Teenagers begun collecting their results from 8am to help guide their future destinations into the workplace or higher education.

Scores are given in a numerical scale, as first introduced in 2017, with pupils needing between 86% and 92% to acquire a grade 9 in Pearson, AQA and OCR maths exams.

The grades are ranked from 1, which is the lowest to 9 as the highest. A standard pass - equivalent to the old C grade - is considered a 4 and a strong pass, a 5.

And pupils at St. George`s Church of England Foundation School in Broadstairs are already celebrating.

The all-through school in Westwood Road says it has achieved “hugely successful results”, with head teacher Adam Mirams, declaring: “As a school, we are delighted to announce the school outcomes this year are superb and are testament to the hard work of pupils of all ages and the dedication of all our staff.

“It is pleasing to see so many pupils progressing within the school to the next stage of their education.”

Youngsters at Benenden School are also revelling in another set of impressive results.

Head Rachel Bailey congratulated its Cranbrook pupils for their “outstanding” results after 78% of all grades were awarded Levels 9-7.

These included three pupils who scooped a clean sweep of Level 9 grades, while 11% achieved at least nine Level 9 grades.

“Many congratulations to this year’s Upper Fifth who should be very proud of their outstanding results,” Ms Bailey said.

“The girls have worked incredibly hard over the past few years and this is reflected in today’s results.”

In Rainham, head teacher of The Howard School, Jasbinder Johal, says the Derwent Way establishment has achieved its best-ever GCSE results this morning.

“We are incredibly proud of this cohort’s achievements,” Mr Johal said.

“These results reflect not only the hard work, resilience and determination of our students, but also the constant support of parents and carers and the commitment and dedication our staff put into every single lesson.”

Elsewhere in the Medway Towns, bosses at Bradfields Academy pupils have seen a 100% pass rate on Level 2 and GCSE results.

Principal of the Chatham site, David Waters, says he is “beyond proud of the brilliant successes each student has made during their time at Bradfields Academy.

“These results further display not only the hard work of the students, but the dedication of our staff who have showcased that no matter the need of the students, they can still achieve fantastic results compared to their mainstream peers,” he added.

In Dover, pupils at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School are also enjoying a year of success, with nearly a third of all pupils achieving a grade 9-7.

In total, 79% of students achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and Mathematics, with 13 now earning coveted academic and sports scholarships as they move into sixth form.

Principal Alex Foreman wrote: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements.

“As one of the top-performing non-selective boarding schools in the country, we are delighted to see so many Dukies choosing to continue their journey with us into sixth form.”

Among the achievers have been Samuel McLay, who earned six grade 9s and three grade 8s, and Bijes Rai who scooped three grade 9s, four grade 8s and two grade 7s.

Meanwhile, The School of Science and Technology (SST) is celebrating its first-ever set of GCSE results.

Part of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust’s, the school in New Cut Road, Maidstone opened with just 192 year 7 pupils in September 2020.

Specialising in STEM subjects, today marked the first time year 11 pupils discovered their grades - and many were not disappointed.

More than 75% achieved a grade 4 in both English and maths, with almost 20% of all grades being a 7, 8 or 9. This was alongside 88% of all science results being given a grade 9 to 4.

Head teacher Ryan Royston said: “These results validate the outstanding Ofsted grading and excellent reputation the school has built.

“Our students’ outstanding achievement shows that our quality of teaching, curriculum and care has paid dividends.”

Pupil Andrejs was its biggest achiever, scooping seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and a pair of grade 7s.

In Dartford, Wilmington Girls Grammar school has seen several of its pupils attain the highest grades, with 50% receiving a grade 7 or above.

Emily Pyne was one youngster who saw the long nights of revision pay dividends, having achieved seven 9s and four 8s.

She said: “I’m really pleased with my results and that all my hard work has paid off.

“Thank you to all of my friends, family, and teachers for supporting me through this journey to get results I’m so proud of.”

Head teacher Michelle Lawson added: “I am particularly proud of this year group who have dealt with all of the challenges in their educational journey, from a lack of their final year in primary and limited transition to a range of personal and health issues as a result of the pandemic.

“They have achieved their aspirational targets and this year’s outstanding results are truly reflective of a determined and committed year group. “

Just up the road, Stone Lodge School bosses were equally as thrilled with their pupils.

The school, which opened in September 2019, saw youngster Harleen Mato achieve a grade 9 in both English Language and English Literature.

When asked how she felt, Harleen replied: “I’m really proud of my results. Everyone. has been so supportive.”

Head teacher Catherine Cusick added: “It is great to see so many of our students who have worked tirelessly hard in the pursuit of excellence get the results that they deserve.

“The hard work of those students has paid off as they go to embark on their next steps of their journeys.”

Elsewhere, Newstead Wood School, in Orpington, are also celebrating after 89% achieved a grade 7 or above in both English and maths, while 100% achieved a grade 5 or above in the two subjects.

The Year 11 cohort also performed well in the sciences with more than 50% scooping grade 9s across biology, chemistry and physics.

Principal Alan Blount said: “I am always thoroughly impressed by the dedication and commitment our students show to their studies and this cohort has been no different.

“The results they have achieved today are absolutely superb and we look forward to welcoming many of them back to our Sixth Form in September where I have no doubt that they will continue to excel.”

While some pupils will hope to move on to sixth form to study A-levels, or college, others will be awaiting results which could lead to apprenticeships or employment.

The new 9-1 grading system for GCSEs was introduced to better differentiate between students’ abilities, particularly at higher grades such as the old A*-C grades.

Notably, there used to be four grades between A* and C, compared to the numerical grading scale giving six individual grades.

The bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of the former grade A, while the bottom of grade 4 is aligned to the bottom of grade C.

Meanwhile, the bottom of grade 1 is aligned to the bottom of grade G.

Pupils receiving their results this year are the first group whose entire secondary education has been impacted by the pandemic.

They are also the first of two cohorts who are missing Key Stage 2 data from primary school, with traditional exams taken at the end of primary education cancelled due to Covid disruptions.

Last week, several Kent schools reported their best-ever set of A-level grades, with many achieving their university offers despite a national picture of fluctuating grade boundaries.