Nerves, excitement and celebrations! Students across Barking and Dagenham picked up their GCSE results this week – and they’ve done themselves proud!
GCSE exams returned this year after being cancelled for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, when teachers awarded grades using marked assignments, coursework, and mock exam results. And the borough’s youngsters have performed exceptionally well despite the disruptions to their education.
This year, over half of young people (51%) achieved the headline measure ‘Grades nine to five in English and Maths’ - the borough's best-ever results. Just under 70 per cent of students achieved grades nine to four in English and Maths, and there was an increase in young people who entered English Baccalaureate (EBacc), achieving their best examination performance to date.
Robert Clack School was delighted to announce its best ever GCSE results, following the school achieving their best ever A-Level results last week. 29 pupils achieved grades nine to seven in every subject.
Dagenham Park Church of England School also reported their best ever GCSE results for all attainment measures, with 63 per cent of students achieving a grade four or above in English and Maths, rising from 55 per cent in 2019.
All Saints Catholic School achieved outstanding results above the national average, including 152 grade nines and 20 per cent nine to eight grades with 85 per cent of grades placed from nine to four. Individually, the highest achiever was Aina Kapferer with ‘Ten out of Ten’ 9 grades - the highest possible outcome.
There were similar scenes of celebration at Riverside School, where 37 per cent of all grades achieved were nine to seven (A*/A) compared to the national average of 26 per cent. Headteacher Andrew Roberts described his staff as being ‘immensely proud’ of the students.
Sydney Russell School saw 78 per cent of its students achieve a grade four or above and 60 per cent celebrating a grade five or higher in English and Maths.
Eastbury pupils also demonstrated great resilience, with over 70 per cent achieving a grade four or above in Maths and English. Two pupils succeeded in achieving nine grades across the board.
Councillor Elizabeth Kangethe, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, commented: “It’s been wonderful to meet the young people and celebrate their achievements with them.
“It’s been a challenging few years for this group of pupils and they have showed great resilience and determination to achieve their goals.
“I’d like to thank all the staff who work in our borough’s schools for supporting our young people to be the best that they can be.”
Richard Paul, Headteacher at Greatfields School and Chair of Secondary Headteachers in Barking and Dagenham added: “Students, teachers and parents across Barking and Dagenham should be extremely proud of this year’s results.
“Given the huge disruption to the students’ learning, it is testimony to how hard they’ve worked and the resilience they have shown to achieve such a great set of results.
“We wish all our students the very best of luck as they embark upon their post 16 courses, with many of them remaining in the borough to continue their studies over the next two years.”
Roger Leighton, the ASCL headteacher association representative for the borough, said: "Congratulations to all Year 11 students on making it through an incredibly tough two years.
“The strong set of GCSE and vocational results across the borough is a testament to the hard work of students and school staff and the support of parents and carers.”