New highs for grade averages as national level falls

Chiswick School students read their GCSE results

GCSE students at schools across the Chiswick area are celebrating some record breaking results in a year when the overall average grade was down across the country.

The good performance by local schools, with many reporting their best ever, was mirrored throughout London with 32.6% were marked at grades 7/A and above widening the gap with most other parts of the UK.

The pass rate nationally, although down this year, is above the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic. It is the first year that normal exams were set since 2019.

Chiswick School’s outcomes at GCSE have significantly improved this year with a record number of Grade 9s - 175 being awarded. Overall the results were considerably higher than the national averages with over a third of grades at 7-9.

Eloise, Martin and Finn achieved a full set of ten grade 9s across all of their subjects. There were many other outstanding individual achievements including Kalan who was awarded nine grade 9 and one grade 8, Megan who achieved eight grade 9 and two grade 8s and Deena with seven grade 9 and three grade 8.

Headteacher Laura Ellener said, “We are delighted for the students who have worked so hard. This is another step on the way to earning our place as one of the top schools in London. Students, parents and teachers can celebrate great achievements today and we hope that we are making the community proud”

Head of Sixth Form, Mr Williams said, “After last week's outstanding A Level results we knew we would be busy during enrolment and it has lived up to expectations. We were delighted to see so many happy students excited to join our Sixth Form. We have been overwhelmed by the number of students from Chiswick School and other secondary schools that are wanting to undertake their studies with us and we are committed to ensuring their academic success”.

West London Free School (WLFS) students have achieved their best set of results in nationally examined GCSE yet. Out of 1195 entries, the average grade was 6.4, up from 6.3 in 2019.

Of all the GCSE exams sat by WLFS students in summer 2022:

• 49% were graded 9-7.
• 79% were graded 9-5.
• 88% were graded 9-4.

In addition, 84% of Year 11 pupils grades were graded 9-4 in English and Maths and ten WLFS students achieved straight grades 8 and 9.

Ben McLaughlin and Robert Peal, Joint Headteachers said, ‘We could not be more proud of the achievements of our Year 11 pupils. Considering the rollercoaster of a ride they have taken to get here, these are a fantastic set of results of which they, and the school, can be extremely proud.’

Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith also reached new record highs for results with 95% of all grades at 7-9 (equivalent to A*/A), with 62% of those being 9s (A*s). Three-quarters of the year group (141 pupils) achieved all 7-9s (A*/As) with 29 students scoring all 9s.

In key subjects such as Mathematics, 98% of all grades were 7-9 (A/A*) with 130 students achieving 9s; in English and English Literature over 94% of students achieved 7-9 grades, with 3 students - Arun, Ihsan and Hannah - receiving 100% in all their English Literature papers.

Latymer Upper students queue to collect their results

Students have achieved this academic excellence whilst also enjoying success in sport, music and drama. For example:
• Balthazar is a para-swimmer who has juggled his studies alongside training and competing at international championships with Team GB. He achieved all 9s, 8s and 7s (equivalent to A/A*s) in all his GCSEs.
• Like Balthazar, Alec has also had to balance his commitment to rowing with his studying. Earlier this month, he won two gold medals in the men’s pair event for the U19 Great Britain Team at the Coupe de Jeunesse event in Spain. This is the first time the men’s GB pair has won a gold medal at this event for 14 years and the first time in 16 years to take home the double gold. He tops off a golden Summer with 5 9s, 3 8s and a 6.
• Stella, who got all 8s and 9s in her GCSEs was also successful in achieving a Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL) diploma from Trinity College of Music, for cello. This is equivalent in standard to the final year recital of an undergraduate degree, which students would usually take at around 22 years old.
• Stella and her peer, Rhea, were also part of the Latymer team who did so well at the Linguistic Olympiad (UKLO) earlier this year. Rhea, who is also a Mensa competition winner, is one of the 29 Latymer students to achieve straight 9s this year.
• Dixie has successfully juggled her studies with both her theatre work and filming since she joined Latymer in Year 7. This year she was filming 'The Essex Serpent' whilst studying for her GCSEs, previously she appeared in ‘The Secret Garden’. She achieved all 9s, 8s and 7s.

Stella with Head Teacher David Goodhew

Head, David Goodhew commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled for our students and their parents. They have set a new school record with 95% of all grades being 7,8 or 9, which is equivalent to A*/A. and three quarters of the year group have achieved all 7s,8s and 9s. These incredible results come after so much uncertainty and turbulence over the last few years and I applaud our students for their resilience and hard work. My thanks also go to our staff for the amazing support they’ve provided as well as the inspirational and dedicated teaching.”

At St Benedict’s School in Ealing, 69.1% of all the exams taken have been graded 9-7 (A*/A), with 47.6% awarded grades 9-8 (A*). This is the highest proportion of top grades ever achieved at the school in a year when examinations were taken.

Thirteen students achieved straight 9-8 (A*) grades. Zach Khan and Benjy Thornton achieved grade 9 in all subjects. GCSE results were strong across in all subjects and were exceptionally good in History, Chemistry, Physics and Classical Civilisation.

The Headmaster, Andrew Johnson, said, “I am delighted that St Benedict’s GCSE students have been so successful. They have worked hard, in another challenging year, to achieve these outstanding results and are a credit to their families, and to their teachers, who have given their dedicated support throughout. Academic performance at St Benedict’s continues its strong upward trajectory; like the A Level results last week, these are the best ever achieved in a year when examinations were taken under normal conditions.”

GCSE students at St Benedict's with the Headmaster, Andrew Johnson. Picture: St. Benedict's, Ealing GCSE students at St Benedict's with the Headmaster, Andrew Johnson. Picture: St. Benedict's, Ealing

Following the excellent A Level results at St Augustine’s Priory last week, the GCSE results achieved by the pupils at this Ealing Catholic independent school for girls, maintained the high standard.

The overall GCSE results were as follows:

· 69% of all results were Grade 7 or above,
· 20% of all grades were Grade 9, and
· 42% of all grades were 8/9.

Headteacher Mrs Raffray commented, ‘We are delighted to share our excellent individual and subject successes for our GCSE candidates. We are back in the land of working with exam boards and we know that this year group of GCSE students can be especially proud of their dedication and pursuit of knowledge for its own sake.

‘Overall, 21% of our students gained all Grade 7 and above, a huge achievement and we congratulate all our Year 11 students on their success’.

She concluded, ‘The national and world stage remains extremely troubling and the more I witness the more convinced I am of the profound worth of what we are doing here at St Augustine's Priory. Our GCSE students today have modelled that for us - they have been an utter joy to work with and our relationships with them are incredibly strong.’

St. Augustine's Girls celebrate their results

Year 11 students at Isleworth and Syon School were in celebratory mood on Thursday morning (25 August) as they picked up their GCSE results.

One of the top performers was Samuel Brace, with nine 9s and one 8. Over the last five years, he has been one of the school’s leading musicians, representing it at many events and even starting a band outside of school with some classmates.

Some of the top performers at Isleworth and Syon School

The school is equally proud of Joe Gilmour and James Skinner, who each earned eight 9s, one 8 and one 7. Both boys are described as outstanding Isleworthians, exemplifying the outstanding opportunities which the school encourages students to pursue. Joe was the lead in the 2021 school production, which will prepare him for a potential post-university political career. James has represented the school on the sports field at national level, as well as earning a place at the European Gymnastics Championships.

Dalbir Gill earned ten top grades, including seven 9s, and is looking to study sciences and maths in the Sixth Form. He is already looking to future careers in astrophysics or aerospace engineering. In recent years, engineering has been a very popular career path for boys at the school. His classmate Nikolay Mykhaylyuk is also aspiring to be an engineer or similar; his 9s in biology and physics, along with other outstanding grades, will stand him in good stead. Suleiman Hassan is also looking to pursue engineering degrees at university and has decided to study A levels in maths, further maths and physics. Dexter Dobel and Ushran Hooghan are quite rightly also proud of their 14 grade 9s between them.

One Year 11 student is already planning his application for Cambridge University – Mikaeel Shah earned seven 9s, one 8 and two 7s in his GCSEs. After entering the UK Maths Olympiad, and placing in the top 20 for the country, he will further his maths education at the school’s Sixth Form. Oliver Hone, fresh from eight grades at 9-8, will study biology, economics and history and is currently planning to join the British Army after university.

Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom, the school’s new Co-Headteachers, said, “These results clearly demonstrate that the future is bright at Isleworth & Syon School. We know that these Isleworthians are well on the way to becoming distinguished alumni – shining examples of the school’s values. With fantastic levels of Sixth Form enrolment, it is clear that our boys acknowledge our long-standing tradition of exceptional education and outstanding opportunities. Congratulations to all students who have collected results today – we wish you well and will do everything we can to support you with your next steps.”

For Hounslow Borough as a whole with 77.4% of pupils achieved grade 4 or better in Maths and English, outperforming the national average of 71.4%.

• In Maths over 80% of students received a grade 4 or above and 65.4% received grade 5 or above.
• In English, over 86% of students received a grade 4 or above, with 73.7% received grade 5 or above.

Performance in the English Baccalaureate (comprising 5 subjects including English, Maths, Science, a language, and a humanities subject) also made improvements above the national average.

The results day celebrations were not just limited to young people in the borough. Adult learners also undertook GCSE examinations with Hounslow’s Adult and Community Education Service – which provides a range of accessible learning opportunities for adults in Hounslow. The adult learners recorded a 100% pass rate in both English and Maths GCSEs.

Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury said, “Huge congratulations to every student receiving their GCSE results today. I know how much effort you have put in and we are all proud of you. It is great to see so many of you celebrating after what has been a stressful time.

"When I collected my results it meant a great deal to me and I remember the day well but we had to deal with a lot less disruption. You should all be proud of your achievements. I also pay tribute to parents and teachers for their help in getting here after the challenges of the last two and a half years, and enabling exams to recommence.

"If your grades weren’t as you were expecting, it does not mean that you cannot reach your potential. It is important that you know that there is support for you through education, training and employment opportunities."

Cllr Lily Bath, Cabinet Member for Children, Learning and Employment, said,“Every student receiving their GCSE results has made all of Hounslow proud. After what has been a challenging couple of years for schools and students, they have shown fantastic resilience and commitment to achieve such amazing results.

“The time young people spend in school is such a formative part of their lives and I’m proud that Hounslow – where every school is rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted – is equipping young people with the tools to succeed.

“It was great to meet the students, to see the smiles on their faces and hear all about their next steps, which include A-Levels, a diverse range of vocational courses and apprenticeships. The future is bright for Hounslow."

August 28, 2022