Top grades buck trend

By Harriet Ernstsons 24/08 Updated: 24/08 09:55

Buy photos » Harriet Assell-Jarvis celebrates at St Augustine's. (s)

PUPILS in Redditch and across the Warwickshire border bucked the national trend to pick up an impressive set of GCSE grades.

Many schools reported their best ever results and despite national complaints about changes to grade boundaries, especially in English, with almost every school in Redditch, Alcester, Studley and Wythall seeing over 60 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C grades, including English and maths at results day yesterday (Thursday).

A total of 80 per cent of Trinity High School students achieved five top grades, increasing to 94 per cent if English and maths are discluded.

Headteacher Marian Barton said the results were the highest ever recorded in Redditch and would place them among the top schools in Worcestershire.

"It is also the third year in a row that GCSE results have improved at Trinity. All our students have done exceptionally well and we are so very proud of their achievements. We attribute these outstanding results to the hard work of both students and teachers at the school."

Kingsley College saw a rise from 49 per cent of pupils achieving the five top grades including English and maths last year to 64 per cent.

Headteacher Stephen Brownlow said they were 'by some distance' the best results the school had ever recorded.

"This increase in the results will place Kingsley College as one of the most improved schools in the country. This achievement is all the greater when across the country there has been a levelling off in performance."

Record results were seen at Arrow Vale Community High School, with an 11 per cent rise in five A* to C grades including English and maths, meaning results have effectively doubled within three years to a total of 60 per cent of students achieving those grades.

Headteacher Guy Shears said: "We are incredibly proud of all our students' achievements. Our results this year demonstrate the huge commitment of staff and students working in partnership. Doubling the results in three years is truly an outstanding achievement."

St Augustine's Catholic High School saw a total of 61 per cent of students achieving five A* to C grades including the two core subjects.

Pass rates had dipped compared to last year, but headteacher Yvonne Brennan said they had seen some 'outstanding' individual results and the results were as expected for the year group.

In Wythall, Woodrush High School celebrated a record-breaking 100 per cent of students achieving five or more top grades, with nearly 80 per cent of those also achieving A* to C in English and maths.

Headteacher Chris King thanked the support of staff and parents for ensuring every single student, regardless of starting ability, finished Year 11 with at least five A* to Cs.

Over the Warwickshire border, Alcester Grammar School's headteacher Iain Blaikie said their results were 'remarkable locally and nationally'.

"They reflect the hard work and achieving success that pervades all key stages. It is a delight to see our students making the required grades, some with clean sweeps of ten or more top grades."

All students achieved five A* to Cs including English and maths, with more than 80 per cent achieving an A* or A in biology, chemistry, physics, maths, history and food technology.

St Benedict's headteacher Tim Sara said the school was 'very happy' with its results. The results were lower than last year's by 'a couple of percentage points' but he attributed this more to natural changes between years rather than grade boundary changes, with 76 per cent of students achieving five A* to Cs including English and maths.

But Alcester Academy head Jane Brooks felt their results had been affected by the boundary changes.

"The grade boundary move in English means our results are not what we expected and this could impact students wanting to go to college who were predicted a C but have got a D.

"But overall we are very pleased with the pupils results as this is the third year of improvement and they have all worked really hard."

Five A* to C grades including English and maths were achieved by 61 per cent of pupils, with 81 per cent five A* to Cs overall.

The national downwards trend was defied at Studley High School, where 95 per cent achieved a top grade in English and 55 per cent celebrated gaining five A* to Cs including the two core subjects.