There was plenty of pride, relief and probably a fair amount of frantic result-checking at Culcheth High as Year 11 pupils returned to school for the final time to collect their GCSE results.
Head of Culcheth, Chris Hunt, described the morning as “vibrant and exciting”, which sounds considerably more cheerful than most people’s experience of opening an envelope containing several years’ worth of academic judgement. He praised the students for their “dedication, enthusiasm and hard work” and congratulated them on what the school called excellent results.
Overall, 71 per cent of students achieved a standard pass, grade 4 or above, in both English and maths. A further 51 per cent secured a strong pass, grade 5 or above, in those key subjects. Those figures are worth celebrating, particularly after five demanding years of study, exams and the general educational obstacle course that is modern secondary school.
Chris Hunt said: “These GCSE results for Culcheth High School are a testament to the hard work, determination and resilience of the students who have risen to the challenge of their examinations, ably supported by the brilliant Culcheth High School staff.
“On behalf of the staff and governors of Culcheth High School, I would like to congratulate our Year 11 students on their excellent GCSE exam results.
“There have also been some fantastic individual performances, which reflect the hard work of the students in their GCSE studies.”
Among the high achievers was Ethan Stafford, who received four grade 7s, three grade 8s and two grade 9s. He will attend St John Rigby to study physics, maths and economics. Quite the combination, and one that suggests his calculator may already be more organised than the rest of us.
Ethan said: “I’m a bit overwhelmed to be honest, but I’m very happy.”
Nyah Ramanah-Beck also achieved an outstanding set of results, with two grade 9s, five grade 8s and two grade 7s. She will study biology, chemistry and maths at Winstanley.
Angel Jackson achieved three grade 9s, three grade 8s, one grade 7 and one grade 6. She hopes to become a lawyer and will study law, criminology and English at Winstanley.
Angel said: “I’m really happy. I spent quite a bit of time revising certain subjects but it was definitely worth it.” That is the sort of conclusion revision timetables everywhere have been waiting to hear.
Culcheth High highlighted the achievements of Esme Appleton, Oliver Ball, Miles Birchall, Alex Buckley, Dominic Burns, Gracie Cripps, Natalia Fuller, Sara Gopikrishnan, Alfie Green, Olivia Haselden, Angela Jackson, Nyah Ramanah-Beck, Faith Shone, Ethan Stafford, Erin Sweeney, James Tooley and Mia Vella.
Chris Hunt added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students for their efforts and wish them all the very best in their next steps.”
“We are delighted with and very proud of our students’ achievements, and I would like to thank all the staff for their dedication and hard work which have supported this level of achievement through the GCSE courses.
“Finally, a big thank you to all the parents and guardians who have supported the students and school to help our young people achieve this level of success in their GCSE examinations.”
There is plenty to applaud here: strong core-subject results, impressive individual performances and a clear acknowledgement that students do not achieve this sort of success without committed staff, families and guardians behind them. The exam system may still be a rather brutal way to measure young people, but these Culcheth students have come through it with results that deserve genuine pride.