Huge congratulations to our Year 11 pupils who received their GCSE and IGCSE results today. Quite apart from the results themselves, to have got to this point, in this year of all years, is a phenomenal achievement. We are proud of all you have done to get here, and you should be proud of yourselves as you take in this moment, and stand on the cusp of the exciting next stages of your education.
To say that 2020 has been a difficult year for children ‘sitting’ examinations would be a huge understatement. In common with A level and IB students, GCSE pupils have had to rise to the challenges of these difficult times, and they have done so with aplomb. At least, after the tribulations of A level results over the last few day, our GCSE and IGCSE pupils have clarity in their results, which match the Centre Assessed Grades that we thought were their most likely outcomes (unless external moderation moved them higher). In a year where so much has been discussed and debated with regard to these grades, it is comforting to know that these pupils have, perhaps more than ever, been awarded the grades that their abilities and endeavours deserve.
Jaideep Barot, Headmaster said “I am so proud of these young men and women, not just for the results they have deservedly achieved, but how they have handled everything that has been thrown at them, and how they have grown as individuals and as a collective. The maturity, independence and togetherness they have gained through such difficult circumstances are obvious, and they are now all more than ready for their exciting move into the Sixth Form.
“That they have got to this point and achieved so well is all the more impressive in the context of everything else they have given to BGS life – in sport, drama, music, volunteering, debating, and so much more. Combining all of this with achieving so well across so many subjects [an average of 10.7] is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see them all back in school in a couple of weeks, to congratulate them properly.”
We confirmed places in the Sixth Form for all our Year 11 pupils early in April. Daniel Stone, Deputy Head (Learning), said “At a time when our young people were going through so much change, and having things taken away from them, we felt it only right that we were able to provide them with some certainty about their next steps.
“This year-group have shown their passion for learning, by engaging so well with our innovative For the Love of Learning (FtLoL) courses once they had completed work on exam specifications, allowing them to engage in both depth and breadth with the subjects they would be taking for IB, A level or Pre-U. Many of our pupils, in fact, signed up to additional courses beyond the ones they had chosen to study in the Sixth Form, making the most of the opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects and enjoy them simply for the love of learning.
Justin Harford, Director of Sixth Form, said “I am looking forward to working with such an impressive group of individuals over the course of the next two years. The FtLoL, which went far beyond the curriculum, has generated an excitement amongst this year group about Sixth Form study. For those studying A levels, students will also have the benefit of 22% more classroom time from September to explore and delve deeper into subject areas, plus an elective course from a choice of Creative Writing, Sports Leadership, Core Mathematics and Extended Project Qualification.”
Additional note:
As with last week’s A level results, we have decided it would be inappropriate to share headline statistics here, and the many individual success stories that are contained therein. Again, this takes nothing away from the endeavours and accomplishments of our pupils who have worked hard to achieve so well this year, despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic. We are proud of them all.
Full details of our results will be posted on the relevant section of our website in the usual way.