Students across Shropshire are today collecting their GCSE results with early indications showing another successful year of results.

Changes to this year’s GCSE exams in English literature, English language and Maths mean that results cannot be compared with those of previous years.

Under the new system, traditional A* to G grades have been replaced with a 9 to 1 system, with 9 the highest mark.

Speaking of today’s results, Karen Bradshaw, Shropshire Council’s director of children’s services, said:

“I would like to warmly congratulate pupils on their results this year. I would also like to extend our thanks to all in our school communities, including all teaching staff, headteachers, parents and carers who have provided much needed support, guidance and direction for the pupils.

“The pupils’ achievements reflect their commitment and preparation for the examinations and the hard work that they have put into their studies.

“This is a very important time for young people as they progress from school to continued education at school or college or further training and employment. We wish all of Shropshire’s pupils every success in the future.”

At Hadley Learning Community, which was last year judged to be in the top 40 schools in the country, improvement has continued to be made with more young people achieving the top grades. A similarly positive picture is recorded at several other schools – in particular Ercall Wood, Burton Borough and Telford Langley.

Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Education and Skills, said: “I would like to congratulate all the students on their achievements and thank everyone connected with the schools for their hard work.”

The Marches School students celebrate hitting the new GCSE highs

In a year of turbulence through schools nationally, students at The Marches School have held their nerve and performed exceptionally well.

With reforms to the new GCSE’s it is not possible to compare this year’s results with other years. The new examination system has been deliberately designed to be tougher and so it is impressive for 10% of the cohort to gain top grades in BOTH English and maths and have 44% of students reach the new demanding measure of a Strong Pass in both English and maths (the new grade 9-5).

Headteacher, Mrs Alison Pearson, comments, “The students and staff have coped extremely well with the change and uncertainty this year and we are today celebrating this important milestone in our student’s lives with more than ever gaining the grades they need for the future. We will see many more joining our successful Sixth Form to build on the outstanding outcomes we received last week. We have a wealth of talent at the Marches School and this years’ results are testament to the continued hard work and commitment of the students, staff, parents and governing body.”

Uladzislau Barabash and Ioana Pascariu both become the first students in the school to gain the new coveted grade 9 in both English and maths, along with A* grades in all their other subjects. In addition, a pleasingly large cohort of students have achieved A/A* grades across the board this year.

Over 99% of students gained at least at A* – C pass and there was a 10% jump in students gaining the English Baccalaureate, (earning A* – C in a set of core qualifications including a language). The Marches School prides itself on delivering a curriculum to suit all abilities; stretching and challenging the most able, whilst supporting and nurturing all students to achieve their personal best, attracting students from across Shropshire and Wales.

Executive Headteacher Sarah Longville commented, “I am so proud of everyone for what they have achieved. I offer my warmest congratulations on the excellent results, providing a solid foundation for our students to continue their educational journey and follow their career aspirations.”

Shrewsbury High School celebrates fantastic GCSE results

Great celebrations took hold at Shrewsbury High after the school received stunning GCSE results that challenged the school’s recent records.

The school achieved a highly impressive A*/A rate of 62% with many girls even securing the new Grade 9, the grade above A*, in English and Mathematics.

“There has been a lot of worry nationally about how the new GCSEs in English and Mathematics would turn out but the girls’ results show they have managed things with incredible skill and competency. Schools recognise that GCSE has been made much more demanding and as a consequence, the girls’ superb achievements deserve even more credit” commented Headmaster, Michael Getty.

Nearly one third of the entire GCSE year group managed to secure straight A*/A grades and above with 22 entries securing the new Grade 9, despite national reports suggesting that allocations of this new even higher grade would be limited to only several hundred across the UK.

“The results are a great testimony to the girls’ hard work and that of our dedicated teaching staff. I am particularly delighted with the girls’ fantastic results in Science and Mathematics, where they achieved 87% A*/A in Biology, 84% in Physics, 81% in Chemistry and a brilliant 93% A*/A in Statistics. It is unsurprising that so many of them go into pursuing careers in Medicine, Veterinary Science and Engineering. They have so much to be proud of!”

The High School has recently been shortlisted for a national award for its work in encouraging girls to pursue careers in Science, Mathematics and Engineering and its work with young Doctors as they prepare for university.

William Brookes School students achieve outstanding GCSE results

Students and staff at William Brookes School in Much Wenlock are today celebrating the school’s best-ever GCSE results. 76% of the 153 students at the 11-18 comprehensive school have secured 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, the two subjects graded on the new numbers system for the first time this year.

90% of students gained a grade 4 or better in English (old C grade) with 80% gaining a grade 5 or better (high C+). Results in Maths were also excellent with 80% gaining a good pass (grade 4 or better) and 62% gaining a strong pass (grade 5 or better). In addition, a best ever 37% of students achieved the English Baccalaureate, the government’s school performance measure of academic subjects, and 99% secured 5 GCSE passes.

20% of all grades at the school were at A or A* and 54% at A*-B. Ten individual students – Brad Jones, Mika Day-Gough, Freddie Ross, Lily Hayward, Emelia Stonebanks, Simon Singh-Moore, Cameron Mackie, Maisie Thornton, Sam Brown and Sharla Harvey – achieved 8 or more A/A*, accumulating 57 A* and 35 A grades between them.

Geoff Renwick, Head of William Brookes School, praised students and teaching staff on their achievements:

“This is an excellent set of GCSE results, and all those who worked so hard to achieve their personal and academic goals should be very proud of their success. Over 78% of our students secured a good pass, a grade 4 (old C grade) in both English and Maths with nearly 60% gaining the new strong pass, a grade 5, in both subjects, which is fantastic at this time of new and more challenging syllabi. I’d also like to congratulate our teaching staff for their expert and supportive teaching. We are already looking forward to welcoming many students back to William Brookes School to start their A Level studies in just a couple of weeks’ time, when they will be joined by students from schools across the county.”

Chair of Governors, Catherine Connery added: “We are delighted with such a positive set of GCSE results, which are a credit to both our students and staff, and confirm our place amongst the county’s top comprehensive schools.”

Shrewsbury School celebrates an impressive set of GCSE results

Hot on the heels of celebrations over excellent A Level results, pupils at Shrewsbury School have produced an impressive crop of GCSE grades with two thirds of all exams rewarded with an A* or A.

This being our first fully co-educational cohort, it was particularly impressive to see so many boys and girls producing such exceptional performances.

Forty-two of the Year 11 pupils achieved a clean sweep of A and A* grades and of these 12 pupils gained an A* in every subject they offered.

Out of a cohort of 147, 70 pupils achieved the top grade in English Literature and 214 A* grades were achieved across all three sciences.

Headmaster, Mark Turner, commented: “The pupils can be justly proud of another sterling set of GCSE results – especially in the national context of grade deflation and increasing robustness of the qualification. That so many Salopians have achieved at the highest levels reflects the diligence, enthusiasm and determination of this cohort and, indeed, of their teachers.”

Another Great Year for GCSE Results at NSC!

North Shropshire College (NSC) is celebrating outstanding student achievement today on GCSE Results Day. The English pass rate which was way above the national average last year has continued today with another great set of results. The Maths results have also improved and reflects on the hard work of the students and staff supporting them at the College.

Interim Principal Peter McCann comments, “I would like to congratulate the English and maths teams on their great results and further progress. They should be proud of what their students have achieved.”

Molly and Rachel Mackenzie are twins from Whittington and have both sat GCSE English this year and unusually they have sat different specifications, Rachel sat the old spec whilst Molly sat the new specification, both have achieved great results.

The girls commented, “We’ve both done different specs this year and are really happy with both passes. We’ve found English much better in College and want to thank Kim our tutor for helping us get there.”

Best-ever GCSE results for Telford College students

The newly formed Telford College is celebrating its best-ever GCSE results, with strong performances in maths and English.

The number of students achieving A* to C grades – or 9-4 grades under the newly introduced system – was up by nearly 19 per cent on the same time last year.

The figures cover students who sat GCSEs at both the Haybridge Road and King Street campuses.

High grades were up by more than 25 per cent across the two sites for English, and over 10 per cent for maths.

Overall pass rates in maths and English topped 92 per cent, with more than 1,000 students passing their GCSEs across the two sites.

Graham Guest, principal and chief executive of Telford College, said: “This is fantastic news for the newly-formed college as we continue to improve our quality and give students the employability skills they need for a successful career.

“The importance of students achieving their maths and English qualifications cannot be over-stressed – it opens up a wide range of higher level course and employment choices.

“That’s why we opened a new maths and English drop-in hub at our Haybridge Road campus earlier this year. Judging by these latest GCSE results, it has helped to make a significant difference.”