Fantastic GCSE results for St Mary’s girls!

Once again, Year 11 students at St Mary’s School, Colchester have achieved a stunning set of GCSE results with 98% of candidates achieving five or more GCSE passes at grade four or C, or above. Overall, 97% of GCSEs at St Mary’s were graded at four or C, or above, compared to a national statistic of 67.3% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is particularly impressive considering the school is non-selective on entry and despite a major government overhaul to make the qualifications more difficult.

• 98% of all St Mary’s candidates achieved five or more GCSE passes at grade four or C, or above
• Overall, 97% of GCSEs at St Mary’s were graded at four or C, or above
• 91% of the 46 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 13 subjects – Art, Biology, Chemistry, Drama, French, History, Italian, Music, PE, Physics, Religious Studies, Statistics and Textiles

“I am incredibly proud of our girls’ achievement at GCSE, especially as St Mary’s is a non-selective school”, said St Mary’s Principal, Mrs Hilary Vipond. ‘These super results are a reflection of all their hard work, combined with the high-quality, tailored education we provide to suit the needs of each individual in our small classes. By giving the students encouragement and support, they aim high and are subsequently able to achieve outstanding academic results. At St Mary’s we offer a brilliantly balanced education in a happy and enriching environment.”

Several students performed exceptionally well. St Mary’s Head Girls Hattie and Romy gained an impressive two As and 15 grade 7-9s, (equivalent to A*/A) between them and they are both heading to Ipswich School for A levels. Hattie plans to study sciences or medicine at university, after gaining 9s in Biology, Chemistry and Physics – she aspires to become a doctor. Romy is a passionate golfer and is hoping to gain a golf scholarship in America to follow her dream of becoming a golf pro. Both the girls hugely benefited from attending St Mary’s, Hattie said “I am so pleased with my GCSE results, St Mary’s do everything possible to get the best out of their students – I couldn’t be happier!” Romy added “It has been great at St Mary’s, I’ve enjoyed taking up the post as Head Girl and all the responsibilities that come with it, I will be sad to leave”.

Lulu from Chelmsford achieved two grade 9s, three grade 8s, two grade 7s and one grade 6 and was delighted to be able to take up her place at Colchester Royal Grammar School to study Economics, English Literature, History and Religious Studies A levels. She would like to go on to study Law at University. Lulu said she had been through an emotional couple of weeks in the lead up to results day but has such fond memories of St Mary’s. Lulu’s mother Dianne thanked St Mary’s Principal, Mrs Vipond, “This was definitely the right school for Lulu. All the encouragement she has received has helped her feel confident for the next chapter in her life. I am so very proud of her!”

Luna, who joined St Mary’s at the end of Year 9, secured one B, three grade 8s, four grade 7s and two grade 5s. She has secured a place at Colchester Sixth Form College to study Biology, Economics, Maths and Psychology. Despite initially feeling apprehensive about moving from a local state school to St Mary’s, she soon settled in and made new friends. Luna confessed that although she worried initially about changing schools, it was the best decision. “St Mary’s offered such great teaching and enrichment opportunities for me which have definitely been key to my success.” Luna’s father, Head of Science at St Mary’s, Mr Vieito said how pleased he was that he initiated a move to St Mary’s for his daughter and was delighted with the results Luna has gone on to achieve as a result. He went on to say, “The school has opened up a world of opportunities for Luna. It proves that a school does not need to solely focus on exams to achieve great results, it is about providing a balanced education to help develop well-rounded individuals.”