Pupils from Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire are celebrating their GCSE results after being the first cohort to sit formal exams since 2019.
Says Headmaster, Sam Hart:
“I am proud of what our students have achieved. It has been a highly unusual year and they have faced unique challenges throughout the duration of their GCSE courses. The reality is that the arrival of the results today marks the end of a very challenging 28 months. They have faced unprecedented disruption to their learning. Against this backdrop, their achievements cannot be underestimated – they have done extremely well and shown great resilience in overcoming many hurdles. We knew that the exam board intended to reset grades, a decision that would impact a year group who have not had a normal lead into their first public exams. The good news is that they have overcome that hurdle and our pupils can focus on studying the subjects that they enjoy at A Level and BTEC. I am grateful to our teachers who have worked tirelessly to support our pupils throughout the pandemic.”
One of those celebrating is Lily Whewell from Grassington, who achieved six Grade 9s and four Grade 8s. She will continue in the Sixth Form of the prestigious day and boarding school to study English, History and Spanish.
Said Lily:
“I’m so happy and proud of my results, particularly in Physics, I got a 9! The teachers have been amazing, they were great at providing you with exam techniques and lots of extra resources to help you prepare. I’m planning to study English, History and Spanish for A level, and I’m looking forward to investing my time in progressing my knowledge in subjects that I enjoy. I’m excited about taking on more responsibility too, I’ll be Cross Country Captain and I’m playing a lead role in the school production.”
Keen linguist, Isaac Fairburn, from Settle, is looking forward to continuing in Sixth Form to study Spanish, French and Art at A Level. He praised the School’s teachers:
“I’m really proud of my results, particularly English, as the exam was really tough! I’m looking forward to starting Sixth Form and studying A level Spanish, French and Art. I love languages, and Miss Mahler is so enthusiastic and has offered lots of help. It’s great at Gigg because all the teachers are passionate about what they’re teaching.”
Head of Sixth Form and Careers expert Anne Coward encouraged teenagers and their families at all schools to think carefully about their next steps explaining:
“When your child is going from studying nine subjects to three or four it can be easy to approach it by asking them ‘what they want to do’ but even for those who already have a chosen career path, young minds change easily! Most university courses accept applications from a wide-range of subjects, the exceptions being more traditional careers such as medicine, engineering and law. We have had successful applicants in the past who have combined Biology and Chemistry with History, a Language, Drama or English Literature to give them a good blend of subjects. It’s not too late to reconsider what you want to do next if your results are different to your expectations – whether you’re a little disappointed or pleasantly surprised.”
She also warned against disregarding BTECs:
“Many parents don’t realise that BTECs are well respected and still lead to university. A BTEC at Level 3 is actually the equivalent of two A Levels. In fact, nationally, more pupils apply to university with BTECs than A Levels.”
The School is continuing it’s celebrations after A Level results day last week where 90% of students were offered a place at their first choice of university, with nearly 50% going on to attend a Russell Group university.
Categories: Giggleswick School School News
