23 August 2018
GCSE results at St Mary’s Colchester are as excellent as ever, despite the change to the grading system.
New-style GCSEs were taken by Year 11 students and graded by numbers, with nine as the highest mark and one the lowest. Grades nine, eight and seven are broadly equivalent to an A* and A, while grades six, five and four are in line with B and C grades (a four is broadly being compared to a C grade). The Department for Education states that the new GCSE grading scale will better differentiate between the highest performing students and distinguish clearly between the old and new qualifications.
98% of all St Mary’s candidates achieved five or more GCSE passes at grade four or C, or above
Overall 96% of GCSEs at St Mary’s were graded at four or C, or above
13 St Mary’s candidates achieved grade 9s in one or more subjects
88% of the 56 St Mary’s candidates achieved a minimum of five passes at grade four, or grade C and above, including Mathematics and English
There was a 100% pass rate in 12 subjects – Art, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, English Literature, German, History, Music, Physics, Religious Studies, Statistics and Textiles
Performance at GCSE has been consistently high at St Mary’s for the past seven years, despite the fact that the school is non-selective on entry.
“This has been a challenging year for GCSE candidates across the country and I am particularly pleased with our students’ achievements and also their approach to the new exams,” said St Mary’s Principal, Mrs Hilary Vipond. “GCSE results at St Mary’s continue to be impressive. This is a real reflection of our students’ hard work, combined with the high-quality teaching, individual attention and the unwavering support of our very close-knit school community. This means that our students are able to achieve outstanding academic results at our school, and enjoy a happy and enriching environment.”
Several students performed exceptionally well:
Elizabeth achieved three grade 9s, three grade 8s, two grade 7s as well as one A* and one A. Elizabeth will join the Sixth Forms at either King Edward VI Grammar School or The Boswells School in Chelmsford to take A levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and either Further Maths or Design Technology.
Keziah achieved two grade 9s, three grade 8s, three grade 7s and one grade 5 and is excited to join the Sixth Forms at either Colchester Royal Grammar School or Colchester County High School for Girls to study A levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths with a hope to study Biochemistry or Veterinary Science at university. Keziah joined in Year 7 and said that “St Mary’s teachers always answered probing questions in lessons, even if these were sometimes a little off topic, they really did go above and beyond”, she says.
Erin, who achieved four grade 9s, three grade 8s, one grade 7 and one grade 6 will join the Sixth Form at Colchester Royal Grammar School to take A levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry (or Geography) and Economics to prepare her for her future plans to study Chemical Engineering at university. Erin, joined St Mary’s in Year 10 and was so pleased she made the decision to change schools at such a vital point in her education – “St Mary’s really helped to challenge me academically with fantastic lessons, small classes and extremely supportive teachers”, she says.
Poppy achieved three grade 9s, four grade 8s, one grade 6 and one grade 5 and will take up her place at Braintree Sixth Form to study Geography, Physical Education and Psychology to prepare her for a career as a paediatric nurse.
Sasha achieved one grade 9, two grade 8s, four grade 7s and two grade 6s and will take up her place at the Sixth Form at Brentwood School to study the International Baccalaureate to prepare her for her plans for a career in Marine Biology, Conservation or Zoology.
Aiden, who achieved two grade 9s, two grade 8s, one grade 7 and one grade 6 will join Suffolk One Sixth Form College to study A levels in Textiles, Physics and Maths to prepare her for her future career as a stage costume designer. Having started St Mary’s in the Preparatory (Reception) class at the Lower School, Aiden is excited for the next stage in her education – “I am looking forward to joining a new college and taking on new challenges, St Mary’s has given me the confidence to know I can succeed!”, she says.
Scarlet achieved four grade 8s and four grade 7s, and is taking up her place at The Sixth Form College, Colchester to study A levels in French, German, Art and English Literature. She hopes to go on to university to study Business.