Teesdale School is celebrating a truly superb set of GCSE results helping to realise their headteacher’s promise of excellence and ambition to become the best school in the county.
The results come in the first year of more challenging GCSEs across the curriculum that are now graded from 9 to 1. Despite much discussion nationally about the impact this would have, Teesdale students have excelled.
A staggering 77 grade 9s were achieved with 26 of these in English and maths (above A* under the old system). This equates to 12% of all grades; huge compared to the expected 3.5% of grade 9s nationally.
There were 170 grades at 8 and above (20% at the old A* equivalent). A massive third of all grades were 7 or above (old A equivalent).
An impressive 59% of students reached grade 5 or above in English and maths, the equivalent of grade C/B under the old grading system. This is a 10% improvement on last year and 20% above the national average. 77% reached grade 4 or above in English and maths, the old equivalent of C+.
Two young men, Jake Knight and Jack Parsons-Munn swept the board with grade 9s in all subjects. Two others, Will Wood and Sam Arundel, achieved an amazing 8 grade 9s and a grade 8 each. To put this into context, fewer than two hundred students in the whole country are expected to achieve straight grade 9s.
Speaking of the excellent set of results, Dr Janice Gorlach, executive headteacher and deputy chief executive of Teesdale’s sponsor, The North East Learning Trust, said:
“We could not be more proud of our young people and grateful to their parents for all their tireless support. Their results are a testament to the hard work and dedication to study. These results show what is possible with high aspirations together with determination. In a world increasingly dominated by a culture of instant gratification, our students have seen the value of sustained hard work and reaped the rewards. There are many, many impressive results but particularly special are the achievements of Tristan Fletcher, Imogen Crossley, Eleanor Morris, Ethan Rawlins, Elanor Kipling and Josh Rayner who exceeded national projections for progress between the start of secondary school and their GCSE exams by an average of two whole grades.
“These results, on top of the excellent A level grades last week, show that Teesdale is well on its way to being an outstanding school that is raising the aspirations of students and helping them fulfil their potential. We know that they are a source of great pride and inspiration to our community.”