Shrieks of delight and tears of joy for GCSE students!

With shrieks of delight, bated breath and tears of joy, Year 11 students at St Gregory’s opened their envelopes containing their GCSE and Cambridge National results this morning and we really could not be prouder of them.

This year group began the early stages of their secondary school experience during a global pandemic yet have proved that with hard work, grit and motivation the sky is the limit. The class of 2024 have worked exceptionally hard and have shown great resilience and determination – they have been role models in terms of their behaviour, attitude to learning and academic commitment.

While national press is keen to highlight the return to pre-pandemic grades and the number of passes falling for the third year in a row, St Gregory’s students have bucked the trend. 31% of all GCSE grades were 7-9, 64% of grades were 5-9 and 100% were 1-9, the highest grades achieved at GCSE for many years. Students made exceptional progress in relation to their target grades and have much to celebrate!

Across the curriculum, there were also some incredible subject results. The Mandarin department achieved 71% of grades at 7-9, while both French and Food Technology achieved 62% of grades at 7-9. Chemistry and Biology grades 7-9 were 56% and 49% respectively. RE, Geography, Physics and Spanish all secured 44% of grades at 7-9. Congratulations to these departments for such fantastic results.

Amongst those students securing the highest possible grades were:

• Dilukshy S with 10 GCSEs at the highest possible grade 9
• Austin S and Millie S, who both secured 9 GCSEs at the highest possible grade 9 and a 1 GCSE at grade 8
• Kezia N with 7 GCSEs at grade 9, 2 at grade 8 and 1 at grade 7
• Kelemen T who achieved 7 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s.

Other students who have performed particularly well are:

• Guiseppe A – 1 grade 9, 3 grade 8, 3 grade 7 and 3 grade 6
• Zara B – 3 grade 9, 4 grade 8, 3 grade 7
• Florence B – 5 grade 8, 4 grade 7 and 1 grade 6
• Naomi C – 6 grade 7, 2 grade 6 and 2 L2 Distinction * (the highest grade in Cambridge National exams)
• Andria D – 2 grade 9, 6 grade 8, 1 grade 7 and 1 grade 6
• Diza D – 3 grade 8, 2 grade 7, 2 grade 6 and 2 grade 5
• Magnus H – 6 grade 8, 1 grade 7 and 3 grade 6
• Rowan I – 2 grade 9, 5 grade 8, 3 grade 7
• Nathan J – 3 grade 8, 5 grade 7, 2 grade 6
• Aidan J – 1 grade 9, 3 grade 8, 5 grade 7 and 1 L2 Merit
• Alex M – 2 grade 9, 2 grade 8, 5 grade 7, 1 grade 6
• Thomas P – 1 grade 9, 4 grade 8, 4 grade 7 and 1 grade 6
• Emma R – 2 grade 9, 2 grade 8, 1 grade 7 and 5 grade 6
• Olive R – 2 grade 9, 3 grade 8, 2 grade 7 and 3 grade 6
• Cordelia T – 3 grade 9, 2 grade 8, 3 grade 6 and 2 grade 5

Headteacher, Melissa George, congratulated the students and staff for their tremendous work in securing such impressive grades:

“I would like to thank the incredible staff and parents/carers who have supported our Year 11s and accompanied them in their moments of triumph and during times of challenge. A St Gregory’s education really is an education for the whole person – academically, personally and spiritually and our students are much more than these fabulous exam results. They are wonderful, kind, respectful, aspirational and outward looking young people who are going to make their mark on society and be positive agents for change.

“We are delighted that so many of our students will be returning to the New Sixth to continue their academic journey with us, while some move on to other sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships and careers. We wish the cohort of 2024 the very best of luck for their future and must congratulate them all on their excellent achievements today.”