Schools celebrate GCSE Results (From Salisbury Journal)

Schools celebrate GCSE Results

1:41pm Thursday 25th August 2011 in News By Hannah White

THE Stonehenge School in Amesbury is celebrating the best GCSE results achieved in the 55 year history of the school.

Overall, 75 per cent of students have left school with at least five GCSE passes at A* to C with 55 per cent of those including maths and English.

Both figures are the best ever achieved by the school and exceed the targets set by Wiltshire Council.

Another record broken was the proportion of subjects awarded A* or A grades which rose sharply on the previous year.

Outstanding performances came from Chris Haighton, who achieved six A*s and five As, James Bradwell, who achieved five A*s and five As, Rory Johnstone, who achieved three A*s and five As, and Hannah Johnstone, who achieved four A*s and five As.

Headteacher Nigel Roper said: “These excellent results follow a highly successful Ofsted inspection only a few months ago. We always knew 2011 would be a good year, but this is more than good, it’s a ‘vintage’ year. My congratulations to all the students on their success and to all of the teachers whose high expectations have been realised.”

AT Shaftesbury School 78 per cent of students achieved five or more GCSEs at A* to C grades.

Notable performances included Rachel Dunn, who achieved ten A*s and one A, George Forsyth, who achieved nine A*s and three As, and Joseph Wahab who achieved nine A*s and two As.

Headteacher David Booth said: “GCSE students at Shaftesbury School have produced yet again another set of magnificent results. Their achievements are a just reward for their conscientious approach to their studies and a reflection of the quality of teaching delivered by our dedicated staff.

“A number of our students have secured a range of passes at the highest levels for which they should quite rightly be congratulated. However the great majority of our students, including those attending our international boarding residence at Barton Hill for many of whom English is not their first language, achieved grades which reflected extremely well against their targets.”

THE Trafalgar School in Downton completed the school year with its fifth year of best ever results.

Fifty-seven per cent of students achieved five or more A* to C grade passes including English and maths, with 25 per cent of those passes at A and A* grades.

Notable performances included Rosie Barnett, who achieved six A*s and four As, Emily Barrett, who achieved four A*s and six As and Head Boy Kieran Rosinger who achieved five A*s, one A and five Bs.

Headteacher Jenny Lawrie said: “This is a great end to a fantastic year for the school and shows that our mission statement ‘empowering students to be the source of their own success’ is making a real difference to student aspirations and achievement. I would like to congratulate all the students, their families and our staff for their well deserved success.”

AT Wiltshire College the GCSE pass rate was 95 per cent with 75 per cent of those at A* to C grades.

Maths, English and core science are the majority of GCSEs taken at the college and most of the students studied for them in the evenings alongside full-time courses or work or family commitments.

Vice principal Robert Rees said: “Congratulations to all the students and staff who have achieved such great results. Most of the students taking GCSEs at Wiltshire College study for them in the evenings in addition to a fulltime course at college or alongside work and family commitments.

“Many universities and employers are now demanding GCSEs or their equivalent in these core subjects as part of their criteria so it is very rewarding to learn that so many have achieved the results they need. We wish them every success for the next step in their education or career.”

SARUM Academy saw 94 per cent of its students achieving five GCSE passes.

Sixty-two per cent of students achieved five A* to C grade passes with 36 per cent of those including English and maths, overtaking the government set target of 35 per cent.

All pupils at the school completed Year 11 with at least one GCSE qualification.

Notable performances included Duncan Callaghan, who achieved eight As and four Bs, Victoria Danaher, who achieved nine As, one B and one C, and Georgina Martin, who achieved five As, eight Bs and one C.

Principal Ruth Johnson said: “Everybody has worked hard to reach these targets, it’s such great news that our efforts have proved that our pupils can achieve above and beyond their potential – we are so proud of them.”

STUDENTS at Avon Valley College are celebrating record breaking results with 81 per cent of students achieving five A* to C grade passes.

Fifty-two per cent of those included English and maths which has improved on last year’s 43 per cent.

The average point score per student was 462 compared to 425.7 last year. Outstanding performances included Rebecca Hudson, who achieved six A*s, three As and four Bs, Shannon Wilding, who achieved three A*s, five As and three Bs, and Kelly Gardner who achieved five A*s, two As and three Bs.

Principal Mark Avoth said: “These are Avon Valley’s best ever results. We are delighted that pupils and staff have once again broken college records. This is the second year running that GCSE results have improved. Commitment, determination and hard work from pupils, staff, parents and carers over the last few years contributed to this success. This is why the college has been recently recognised as one of the most improved schools in the country. Congratulations to everyone concerned.”