ASHFIELD: Students’ joy as GCSE hard work pays off

Fifty per cent of youngsters at the academy achieved the benchmark of five A* to C grades including English and maths, up from 44 per cent last year.

Around 68 per cent of students achieved five A* to Cs in any subjects, with 97 per cent gaining five GCSEs with any pass mark.

Principal Simon Martin said he was ‘very pleased’ the students’ achievements, particularly in a year when they have been faced with many changes to the GCSE exam system which has meant that resit exam results are no longer counted.

“The students have coped very well with quite a major policy decision made during the year, which was that the first sitting result of an exam would count rather than in previous year’s when we have been able to count their best ever result,” he said.

“The results are very good - they are as expected, our best ever results and this is due to the standard of teaching and the real focus for the kids on exam preparation and what they need to do in order to get the best marks they can.”

Top of the class at Sutton Community Academy was Sophia Parvaiz, from Sutton, who achieved an impressive two A*s and eight As.

She is planning to go to West Notts College to study for A levels.

“I was a little bit surprised at my results - I didn’t expect it to happen in maths but I got an A*,” said the 16-year-old.

Other success stories were Jake Harvey, who scored two A*s, six As and two Bs, and Charlotte Wint, who got two A*s, seven As, a B and a C.

Sophie Carroll (16), from Sutton was pleased with haul of good grades, which included an As in history and art and Bs in English and maths.

“It was challenging and hard work, but worth it,” she said.

Quarrydale School

Quarrydale’s students picked up their GCSE results with broad smiles on their faces, said headteacher Jon Crone.

For the third year in a row the school performed well beyond the national average with more students than ever getting a cluster of A* grades - a focus for the Academy this year.

Top performers Bethany North, Elizabeth Walton and Holly Spencer had no less than 29 A* or A grades between them.

The benchmark of five A* to C grades including English and maths was achieved by 62 per cent of Quarrydale students.

Headteacher, Jon Crone said “It’s fantastic that in a year of such turmoil that our students have continued to work so very hard to achieve a great set of results, credit must go to them, their parents and to the staff of the Academy for working together for the benefit of all”. Chair of Governors, John Heald said “I am very proud of the achievements of our young people and our staff, I wish the students every success in their future and hope that they keep Quarrydale very much in their hearts”.

Frederick Gent School

The South Normanton school said it was ‘delighted’ with this year’s GCSE results which show a significant improvement on last year.

The number of students achieving at least five GCSEs including English and Maths has increased to 55 per cent.

A school spokesman said: “We are proud that students have enjoyed success in a wide range of academic and vocational subjects.

“There have been many outstanding performers including nine students who achieved more than five grades at A or A*.”

All students at the school passed at least five GCSEs.

Top performer Lauren Walker got an amazing five A*s and five As.

West Notts College

Kirkby adult learner Damon Ince was delighted to gain the grades that take him a step closer to achieving his ambition of becoming a primary school teacher at West Notts College.

A total of 351 students studied GCSEs at the college this year – an increase of 137 students on last year, following the Government’s requirement for students without A*-C grades in English or maths to continue to study these subjects post-16.

Damon (33) achieved B grades in English and science, and a C in maths, which mean he can progress on to the Foundation Degree in Children’s and Young People’s Services at the college in September.

He said that after under-achieveing at school and drifting into a variety of job, he finally set his sights on becoming a teacher and enrolled on to the NVQ Level 3 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development at the college.

While studying the course, he secured a job as a teaching assistant and last year Damon decided to re-take his GCSE English, maths and science to improve on his grades from school and move forward with his career plans.

Now, after getting the GCSEs he needs, Damon can look forward to combining his higher-level studies with his newly-secured teaching assistant role at the soon-to-open Hucknall Beardall Fields Primary School.

Damon said: “Leaving school all those years ago with low grades left me feeling quite down about myself. But getting these results today has totally lifted that dark cloud that’s hung over me for the last 16 years.

“I’ve worked really hard over the last year, studying three evenings a week at college. I would have been happy with three C grades so I’m delighted I’ve done even better than anticipated.

“It means the start of a whole new chapter in my life, as today I’ll be enrolling on the foundation degree which starts in September.

“I feel like I’ve got a foot on the ladder to where I want to be in the future.”