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GCSE Results - Our best year ever

ONE FINAL HURDLE FOR THE BEST YEAR EVER

Students at The Catholic High School, Chester had to overcome one more challenge as they went to collect their GCSE results. The re-surfacing work on Old Wrexham Road meant that ‘the best year ever’ had to find other routes into the Handbridge school.

The celebrations began in earnest as staff and students saw that the school had recorded the best set of GCSE results ever. Over 77% of the year group had secured more than 5 GCSEs at C grade or above, with 61% of the year including both English and Maths in their total. Nearly fifty students managed 10 passes at C grade or above.

Head of Year 11 Dylan Green came back from his holiday in Wales to join the students for the morning and declared the year group to be ‘an excellent vintage. This year group has been a pleasure to work with and has set a new and higher standard for the school. Future years will have to be measured against the year of 2011.’

‘One of the key features of this year group has been the support we have had from parents’ said headteacher John Murray. ‘Through thick and thin, the parents have been with us and with their children, encouraging and nagging in equal measure.’

Assistant Head, Ursula Ferne, joined the school at the beginning of the academic year and has worked closely with the year group. ‘The amount of extra time teachers have put in to help the students has been wonderful,’ she said, adding ‘I know the students have been really appreciative of the support they have had throughout the year.’

Some of the individual stories within the year group have been really fantastic. As well as achieving highly, a number of students have overcome significant difficulties in producing stunning results. One young man lost his brother after a long illness before Christmas, there are a number of students in the year group who are dyslexic, and four who are supported through the school’s Autistic Spectrum Resource Base.

Subject teachers are equally pleased with results day. English and RE are battling for top spot with 82% and 86% of the year group gaining C grades or better. RE also topped the A* table with 27 students securing the highest possible grade. Among the option subjects Art, Drama, Spanish and Textiles saw 100% of entries secure A*-C passes. The most popular option subjects for this year were PE and History. Of 66 PE students, 39 passed with a C or better, while 40 out of 51 History students reached the same standard.

Students who did particularly well include;

Clare Allman 6A*, 3A and Distinction in ICT

Callum Boyd 7A*, 3A and Distinction in ICT

Ellie Bramham 2A*, 7A and Distinction in ICT

Grace Carson 3A*, 7A

Stefania Esposito 2A*, 5A, 3B

Natalie Evans 1A*, 5A, 3B and Distinction in ICT

Alice Gidney 2A*, 6A, 2B

Ollie Gwyther 3A*, 6A and Distinction in ICT

Stephen Hayward 5A*, 4A, 1B

Olivia Johnston 2A*, 6A, 2B

Jamie Mills 5A*, 4A