Lancaster and Morecambe pupils celebrate GCSE results

Teenagers across the district have been collecting their GCSE results this morning '“ and we will bring you any celebratory photos and comments from schools as we get them.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.

This year was the first year using the new 9-1 GCSE grades, replacing the previous A-G marking system.

A Grade 1 is comparable to a G, a Grade 4 is the new Standard Pass grade and is similar to a C, while a Grade 7 is comparable to an A. Grade 9 is reserved for the very top tier of students.

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Under the new system, coursework and practical playe a much smaller part in courses, with most of the marks available to students in exams taken at the end of Year 11.

Lancaster Girls' Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results. Pictured are (back row) Liddy Osmond, Ayshah Mehtajee, headteacher Jackie Cahalin and Jasmine Banks, with (front row) Katy Reid, Chloe Mason, Rhiann Bevan and Nicole Pickles.Lancaster Girls' Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results. Pictured are (back row) Liddy Osmond, Ayshah Mehtajee, headteacher Jackie Cahalin and Jasmine Banks, with (front row) Katy Reid, Chloe Mason, Rhiann Bevan and Nicole Pickles.
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results. Pictured are (back row) Liddy Osmond, Ayshah Mehtajee, headteacher Jackie Cahalin and Jasmine Banks, with (front row) Katy Reid, Chloe Mason, Rhiann Bevan and Nicole Pickles.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School students were celebrating outstanding GCSE results.

Students achieved excellent results in the first year of the new 9 to 1 GCSE grading system and more challenging examination content.

Well over a third of all examination results across all subjects (36.3 per cent) were grades 8 and 9, and the overall pass rate exceeded 98%.

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Two pupils achieved a clean sweep of the very highest grade in every single subject, and twelve students each achieved an extremely impressive set of seven or more grade 9s.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.

Headmaster Dr Chris Pyle said: “Congratulations to our pupils on an outstanding set of GCSE results which will be a stepping stone to their continued success at A-level and beyond.

“This year group has been the first year to sit the new GCSEs, and it has been excellent to see how they have risen to the challenge.”

“Well done to every single one of our pupils – to the top achievers and to all who have worked so hard for their excellent results. We are proud of every single one of them.

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“I am very grateful to our teachers and the whole team of day and boarding staff at Lancaster Royal Grammar School who have supported our pupils towards these achievements.”

Dallam pupils Ellie Tucker, Ben Broughton and Laura Tuckey celebrate their GCSE results.Dallam pupils Ellie Tucker, Ben Broughton and Laura Tuckey celebrate their GCSE results.
Dallam pupils Ellie Tucker, Ben Broughton and Laura Tuckey celebrate their GCSE results.

Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School staff and students are celebrating another year’s exceptional GCSE results.

At LGGS 75 per cent of grades were at grade 7 and above (equivalent to grade A and above) with a fantastic 57 per cent of all grades at 8 and above (equivalent to A* and above).

Most students sat 10 GCSEs with some also studying an Additional Maths qualification. Forty-two students, more than a third of the year group, gained all 10 GCSEs at grade 7 (A) and above.

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A special mention to the following students for their exceptional results: Gaining grade 9 in all ten exams were Sarah Guo, Niamh Hetherington and Grace Wilson.

Dallam pupils Flora Knight, Louise Dewhurst and Eva Wood, with (standing) Ruth MacEwan and Daniel Slater celebrate their GCSE results.Dallam pupils Flora Knight, Louise Dewhurst and Eva Wood, with (standing) Ruth MacEwan and Daniel Slater celebrate their GCSE results.
Dallam pupils Flora Knight, Louise Dewhurst and Eva Wood, with (standing) Ruth MacEwan and Daniel Slater celebrate their GCSE results.

In addition 18 students achieved ten GCSEs at grades 8 and 9: Jasmine Banks, Isabelle Bristow, Tegan Davis, Alice Dillon, Sally Graves, Laura Gresty, Anna Harrison, Sahithya Karnad, Chloe Mason, Meg Nelson, Nimisha Noby Nicole Pickles, Nalini Ram-Prasad, Martha Surman, Varsha Venkataraghavan, Rebecca Ward, Amy Wardle and Tamsin Wood.

Head Jackie Cahalin said: “I am very proud of the achievement of all our students. It has been a challenging year for students who are the first to experience the new style GCSEs in most of their exams.

“I would also like to thank the staff at LGGS who have worked very hard to prepare and support students with the new exams. The students can feel very pleased with their achievements and we look forward to welcoming them back to our sixth form.”

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Helen Seddon, headteacher of Our Lady’s Catholic College, said “We are delighted that our Year 11 students have once again done fantastically well securing great outcomes after five years’ hard work at secondary school and seven at primary school.

“They have successfully taken on the stretching new 9-1 GCSE qualifications and we are thrilled that a number of our students have achieved the new gold star of grade 9 which is even harder to reach than the A*.

“This year group has shown strong increases in all the key measures with improved pass rates particularly in the higher grades 7, 8 and 9.

Central Lancaster High School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.Central Lancaster High School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.
Central Lancaster High School pupils celebrate their GCSE results.

“We have seen a 100 per cent pass rate in virtually all our subjects with almost every one of our students achieving the new 9-1 qualification.

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“We are pleased to see another rise in our overall pass rate in our other vocational qualifications. The vast majority of our students are now able to successfully embark on the next stage of their education or training and we congratulate them on doing so well, not just academically but in every aspect of their life journey with us.

“I would like to thank them for everything they contributed to the community of Our Lady’s during their time with us.

“We are particularly proud of: Jakub Szultka: 2x9, 2x8, 3x7, 1x6, A*A, Dist*, Merit - Sarah Walker: 1x9, 7x8, 1x7, A*, Dist* - Celestine Leadbeater: 1x9, 4x8, 3x7, 1x5, B, Dist* - Lois Hulse: 1x8, 3x7, 4x6, 2xA, Dist* - Georgia Metcalfe: 1x8, 6x7, 2x6, C, Dist, as well as many others who have all achieved outstanding results.”

Students at Central Lancaster High School are celebrating a fantastic set of results which demonstrate the amazing level of commitment they all showed to their studies this year; even though GCSE examinations have been completely reshaped and have been harder for students and staff to prepare for this year.

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Students are celebrating a range of the highest level grades and successes in both GCSE and BTEC qualifications.

The school is thrilled that students have achieved Grade 9s in a range of subjects and the highest possible Distinction* grades in vocational subjects. Students across the board have achieved incredible progress across the whole curriculum.

Head Nicola Hall applauded the efforts of both staff and students who have delivered these excellent results, which also show huge improvements across every subject in the school. In particular, English, mathematics and science subjects have shown remarkable improvements.

She said: “These results are testament to the excellent work ethic shown by this year group of students and the dedicated approach that our teaching and support teams have taken with preparing our students as well as possible.

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“Students from Central have an exciting range of future choices ahead of them and we are very keen to make sure that throughout their time with us they explore all options available to them.

“We have students pursuing their studies at a wide range of Sixth Form and post 16 provision across Lancaster, some having accepted apprenticeships and even one student travelling to college in Belgium to study languages.”

Former student Cameron Redpath said: “I am absolutely thrilled with my results and can’t thank Central Lancaster High School enough for being a truly inclusive school that supports all students.”

Central Lancaster High School and its governors believe that our curriculum should offer a wide range of choices for young people and our comprehensive student support services are the best available.

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All the student support, careers guidance and wide range of subjects will be available at our Open Evening this year which is scheduled to take place on Thursday September 13 from 6pm.

Bay Leadership Academy pupils are firmly on the path to a variety of high flying careers after achieving top grades at GCSE.

Joanna Kurowska will be continue her studies in Bay’s Sixth Form after achieving a 9, the top grade, in English Literature.

Ecstatic with her result, Joanna said: “I’m very happy with the 9 that I got in English literature and the 7 I got in history! Next year I will be studying A-levels in history, English literature and RE.”

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Keean Arnold is celebrating achieving excellent results which allow him to continue his aspiration of working within science in the future.

He said:

“I’m really pleased with my results and I will be continuing with science A-levels in the Sixth Form.”

Other pupils were overjoyed and also thankful of the support they received from their teachers.

Reece Greenall was thrilled with his results after “a long period of working extremely hard followed by a nervous wait”, whilst Gemma Gibson described her teachers as “amazing”.

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Josh Ford Carr echoed these sentiments, saying: “I am so proud of my results. I worked so hard and the effort really paid off. I still can’t believe I achieved top grades!”

Pupils at Ripley St Thomas are celebrating superb results across a wide range of subjects in the new GCSEs.

Principal Martin Wood said: “Congratulations to all our pupils on their fantastic GCSE results. We are so proud that their hard work has paid off.

“It is really pleasing to see so many students achieve the grades they deserve after working so hard. We look forward to welcoming them into our Sixth Form and to celebrating further success in the future.

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“Thank you also to all the staff at Ripley for their dedication, care and professionalism in preparing pupils so well. It is great to see exam results continue to improve at Ripley, despite the more challenging exams.

“We are particularly pleased with the very high numbers of students achieving the highest grades of 8 and 9 in many subjects, including English and maths.

“In one maths class alone, there were 25 grade 8 and 9s, which was quite astonishing.

“Particular congratulations to Martin Walls, who achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 7s, Catherine Vernum, who achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 8s, and Freya Monks, who achieved four grade 9s and five grade 8s.”

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This year’s examination results are the best in recent memory for Morecambe Community High School.

A spokesman said: “The overall combined English and maths GCSE grade has risen by four per cent and the school has performed much better in mathematics, science and French, as well as continuing to to do well the subjects in which it has been traditionally strong.

“We are only at the beginning of our journey of school improvement, and with the continued support of The Bay Learning Trust, I am confident that the results in 2019 will be stronger still.

“The most impressive GCSE results this year were attained by Catherine Cowen, who was placed in the top three per cent in the country by achieving Grade 9 in the subjects English literature, French, religious education and Spanish, and also achieved 5 Grade 8s and a grade 7.

“We are proud of her success.

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“I would like to thank all the staff, parents and students who have made today such a success, and look forward to welcoming many of them back into Sixth Form in September.”

The number of Bay Leadership Academy pupils achieving the top grades in English and Maths has increased by seven per cent this year, with 51 per cent of students achieving Grades 9 to 4 in these core subjects.

Principal John Shannon said: “Results like these do not happen by accident; they are the result of hard work and dedication shown by the students and also the staff over the last 12 months.

“We only joined Star Academies part way through the year, and their support and expertise to drive rapid improvement is already bearing fruit. We looked forward to building on this success in the coming years.”

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Staff and students at Dallam School were also celebrating after securing an impressive set of GCSE results.

Despite students tackling the new, more challenging, GCSE papers, the Class of 2018 achieved some individual results that are expected to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the country’s best.

Ruth MacEwan gained six grade 9s, three grade 8s, one A* and two A grades, Louise Dewhurst gained seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and one 7, Ben Broughton gained five grade 9s while Ellie Tucker and Laura Tuckey gained 10 grades at 8 and 9. Flora Knight also achieved two grade 9s, three grade 8s and five grade 7s.

Jim Fuller, deputy headteacher, praised their achievements. He said: “It is expected that only the top 2% of exams will secure the highest grade, so the fact that we have students with half a dozen Grade 9s is testament to their talents and dedication”.

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The school also saw an increase in other government measures, such as the number of students securing strong passes in English and maths.

Mr Fuller added: “Students have worked extremely hard over the past two years and it is great to see them perform strongly when faced with more challenging papers.

“There have been some magnificent performances; not only from those who have achieved the very top grades but also from students who have smashed their own goals and targets.”

Kathryn Hurst, William Cullen, James Phillipson and Daniel Slater were among those who all who all exceeded expectations by an average of 2 grades across all subjects.

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“We wish all the Class of 2018 the very best for the future and look forward to welcoming so many students back to Dallam Sixth Form in September.”

Giggleswick School pupils have exceeded national expectations by achieving top grade results and an impressive 94% overall pass rate this year, despite concerns over the new, tougher, numerically graded GCSEs.

More than 42 per cent of Giggleswick’s candidates achieved A*A equivalent (7-9) grades, compared with a 20.5 per cent national average. The overall A*-C equivalent pass rate increased to 94 per cent, compared with a 66.9 per cent national figure.

Science students have been top performers again this year with an impressive 87 per cent achieving grades 7-9 in chemistry, 81 per cent in physics, and all science subjects recording a 100 per cent pass rate.

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There was more success in drama, music, German, further maths and PE, with a clean sweep of 100 per cent passes in these subjects too.

Headmaster Mark Turnbull said: “We’re not an academically selective school, which makes these results all the more impressive. I cannot praise our pupils enough for the personal journeys they have travelled and all the successes they have achieved amidst a sea of curriculum changes. For us it’s not just about the top grades, it’s about individual attainment and I am delighted to see Giggleswick supporting all of our students so well.”

Tougher standards, less coursework and more exams have created a great deal of additional pressure for many pupils and the importance of pastoral care and support at schools to help alleviate stress and anxiety has never been higher.

Mr Turnbull added: “Exams are important but so is loving what you do. We know that happy pupils make successful learners and at Giggleswick the well-being and mental health of pupils is a priority. Our school is renowned for its caring, supportive community.”

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Staff are extremely proud of the excellent results achieved by Year 11 at Carnforth High School this year.

Head of School Tim Iddon said: “Carnforth students rose to the challenge of the new, more rigorous GCSEs, achieving much higher than national average grades overall.

Of particular note are Art, English Literature, Religious Studies and Science, all of which achieved outstanding results. All vocational subjects achieved a pass rate of 100 per cent.

“The highest achieving students in 2018 are: Joel Chesters with 10 subjects at 9-7 (including 7 grade 9s), Kezia Lucas with 8 subjects at 9-7 (including 1 grade 9) and Leah Silva with 7 subjects at 9-7.

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“We are equally impressed with those students who have made the most academic progress during their time at Carnforth, who are: Mateusz Mielnik, Louise Whittle and Ewan Dean.

“The strong accomplishments of our students will ensure that they all make the successful next step into further education, apprenticeship or employment.

“The consistently strong results we achieve would not be possible without the hard work of the staff and students at Carnforth High School as well as the strong support of those who encourage the students at home.

“We would like to thank everyone who has been part of our continued success.”

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Garstang Community Academy principal Alasdair Ashcroft said: “Students from Garstang Community Academy have achieved yet another fabulous set of exam results, with almost 80 per cent of students exceeding or gaining the five pass grades or better including the new English and Maths grade.

“25 per cent of students gained a grade 7 or better in English and/or Maths.

“There were many stand-out individual performances, with a large number of students gaining the new 9 and 8 grades.

“Against a backdrop of national uncertainty and a general ‘toughening up’ of exam grades, I am incredibly proud of students’ fabulous GCSE results.

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“These great results are a reflection of the resilience and hard work of everyone at GCA.

“I wish all of our wonderful students all the very best as they move on, with the grades they need, to the next exciting phase of their lives.”

Staff are extremely proud of the excellent results achieved by Year 11 at Carnforth High School this year.

Head of School Tim Iddon said: “Carnforth students rose to the challenge of the new, more rigorous GCSEs, achieving much higher than national average grades overall.

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Of particular note are Art, English Literature, Religious Studies and Science, all of which achieved outstanding results. All vocational subjects achieved a pass rate of 100 per cent.

“The highest achieving students in 2018 are: Joel Chesters with 10 subjects at 9-7 (including 7 grade 9s), Kezia Lucas with 8 subjects at 9-7 (including 1 grade 9) and Leah Silva with 7 subjects at 9-7.

“We are equally impressed with those students who have made the most academic progress during their time at Carnforth, who are: Mateusz Mielnik, Louise Whittle and Ewan Dean.

“The strong accomplishments of our students will ensure that they all make the successful next step into further education, apprenticeship or employment.

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“The consistently strong results we achieve would not be possible without the hard work of the staff and students at Carnforth High School as well as the strong support of those who encourage the students at home.

“We would like to thank everyone who has been part of our continued success.”

Garstang Community Academy principal Alasdair Ashcroft said: “Students from Garstang Community Academy have achieved yet another fabulous set of exam results, with almost 80 per cent of students exceeding or gaining the five pass grades or better including the new English and Maths grade.

“25 per cent of students gained a grade 7 or better in English and/or Maths.

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“There were many stand-out individual performances, with a large number of students gaining the new 9 and 8 grades.

“Against a backdrop of national uncertainty and a general ‘toughening up’ of exam grades, I am incredibly proud of students’ fabulous GCSE results.

“These great results are a reflection of the resilience and hard work of everyone at GCA.

“I wish all of our wonderful students all the very best as they move on, with the grades they need, to the next exciting phase of their lives.”

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