As GCSE qualifications are awarded across the country, there was excitement at The Elms Academy as students discovered how they had fared in their external examinations.

This year – the first that exams returned to pre-pandemic arrangements nationally – half of The Elms Academy’s Year 11s achieved a higher level pass of grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Two thirds of the cohort (65%) achieved a grade 4 or above in the two subjects.

Subject-level results were particularly strong in English at the school this year, with 41% of students celebrating a grade 7 or higher. Other subject highlights included History and Spanish, where nearly half of students also achieved a grade 7 or above.  

In addition to the positive overall picture, there were a number of individual successes. Among the top performers were:

• Mariza Fernandes Rodrigues, who achieved seven grade 9s, three grade 8s and one grade 7;

• Thuc Khang Phan, who achieved seven grade 9s and three grade 8s;

• Abdullahi Sheikh, who achieved six grade 9s, three grade 8s and one grade 7;

• Ololade Adebayo, who achieved five grade 9s, four grade 8s and one grade 7;

• Maisie Reid, who achieved four grade 9s, three grade 8s and three grade 7s;

• Mikolaj Dubiel, who achieved four grade 9s, three grade 8s and two grade 7s;

• Tyler Wright, who achieved three grade 9s, four grade 8s and two grade 7s;

• Kurt Sarza Morcilla, who achieved three grade 9s, two grade 8s and two grade 7s;

• Jessica Relihan, who achieved two grade 9s, seven grade 8s and one grade 7.

These GCSE achievements mirrored the success seen at The Elms Academy’s Sixth Form last week, when many Year 13s celebrated securing the grades they needed to gain places at prestigious universities. This included a continuing trend of Oxbridge entrances – with two Sixth Formers securing a place at Oxford and one for Cambridge this year.

Commenting on these achievements, Amy Welch, Principal at The Elms Academy, said:

“This year’s GCSE results build on a successful summer for our students, with strong A Level results last week securing students their first-choice universities. It is thanks to the enthusiasm and resilience of staff and students across the academy that our Year 11s have been able to meet the challenges of the past two years to achieve some excellent GCSE outcomes.

“I could not be prouder of the path that our students have set themselves on – these results have put them well on track for their next steps into Sixth Form and beyond. We always say to students that we want them to have the most opportunities available to them when they leave us and we look forward to continuing to work with many of these Year 11s as they begin their A Level studies with us in September.

“Our staff deserve huge thanks and congratulations too. The considerable time, energy and encouragement they have dedicated to students has enabled students to make very strong progress – no matter their starting points – and I know they will be equally pleased for everyone celebrating today.”