- 47.4% of all GCSE grades awarded were 9s
- 85.3% of all grades were 7-9
- This is Roedean’s biggest ever cohort 130+ pupils
- 40 pupils achieved seven or more grade 9s
- 19 pupils achieve nine or more 9s
- Ten pupils were awarded 10 or more 9s
ROEDEAN headmaster Oliver Blond congratulated Year 11s today after their strong results belied a secondary education seriously affected by lockdowns, Covid and educational disruption.
Teens at the school managed to pull off some of the most successful grades in the school’s history this year, despite the national uncertainty around exams, the regular disruptions to in-school learning and the unprecedented upheaval to their formative years.
An impressive 47.4% of all grades were 9s, 85.3% were 7-9 and 40 pupils achieved seven or more 9s while ten girls were awarded 10 or more 9s.
Said Mr Blond: “Some 1260 GCSEs were taken and 597 were grade 9s. Not only are these results unprecedented, but this is the school’s largest ever cohort, with over 130 students, underlining the students’ strength in depth.
“On behalf of Roedean, I would like to congratulate this year group, who we know have had their education over the last two years heavily disrupted by Covid. Given that context, they have performed exceptionally well, and shown remarkable determination, dedication, and resilience.
“But it is important to remember that it isn’t just examination results which matter, of course. The fact that two members of this year group swam in the cross-Channel relay in the middle of their exams is an example of how rounded Roedean students are, and there are also very many examples of exceptional commitment to sport, dance, drama, art, music and community activities across this year group. They have really shown that it is possible to contribute widely while achieving their aspirations.”
Roedean GCSE student swims Channel between papers! 15-year-old Rose Owens landed nine 9s and one 8 in her GCSEs – and swam the Channel between papers.
The Roedean Year 11 pupil had been training for months to complete the crossing as part of a six-girl charity relay team and completed the 13 hours and 13 minutes overnight swim from Dover to Cap Gris Nez on June 15/16 – just hours after sitting her biology paper!
The £7000 raised by the sponsored swim will go towards supporting the group of Ukrainian refugee pupils who are set to start at Roedean in September. The girls were accompanied in the pilot boat by teachers John Hobbs and Kate Wakeling, and battled changing tides, swarms of jellyfish and icy conditions.
Said Rose: “We had to wait to be told when our slot would be to make the crossing and I was really worried in case it clashed with one of my exams. But luckily we were given an 11pm departure time by the Channel Swimming Association so I sat my biology paper on Wednesday morning and rushed to Dover to start the swim that evening with the others. We swam overnight in relay. It was tough doing it in the dark because it was very, very cold and there were lots of jellyfish to swim through but I kept on thinking about the team and not wanting to let them down. We were so delighted when we made it to France but there wasn’t much time for celebrating because I had to revise for my next paper!”
Rose, along with fellow GCSE student Amy Ng(16) and Roedean pupils Bella Mapledoram (12), Clara Burton-Dowsett (14), Olivia Crawley(16) and head girl Jemima Venturi (17) are thought to be the first all-girls school pupils to achieve the crossing, coping with one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers passing through daily as well as 200 ferries and other vessels.
She added: “We trained for months every Monday and Friday at 6.30am before school and at weekends so I was able to revise for my GCSEs in the evenings but I’m still relieved that it’s all over even though it was an amazing experience.”
Categories: Roedean School School News
