STUDENTS returned to Leighton Park for the first time since March to collect GCSE results and catch-up.
Due to a last-minute decision by the Pearson exam board, they couldn’t collect grades for their Cambridge Assessment and BTECs.
Despite this setback, many students were thrilled with their grades and looking forward to returning to school for the new academic year starting next month.
Grace Andrews was one such student, admitting that some of her results were higher than she’d expected.
““I’m very happy,” she said. “There are some higher than I thought they would be; there are some that I think were justified. It’s a mixed bag but I’m very happy.”
She will now undertake the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
Proud Mum Jane said: “She’s an all-rounder so it’s a good option for her. It’s good to keep on with Maths and English and a language which she might not have chosen otherwise. Especially Maths, but you need Maths for everything in life.”
Also intending to study the International Baccalaureate is Tisa Maunder-Bushnell, who played Mama in the school’s spring production of Chicago and said she was excited to come in to collect her results.
“The biggest surprise for me was that I got two nines for my combined science,” she said.
Harry Penman is to study maths and physics at A-level, but his third subject changed from economics to geography following a bridging programme offered to Year 11 students during the second half of the summer term.
This gave students two taster lessons a week for each A level and IB subject they were planning to study at sixth, and also dip into additional lessons if they wished to ensure they had made the best choice of subjects.
The academic curriculum was supplemented by two lessons each week of life and study skills which provide a smooth transition to Sixth Form study.
“These students haven’t had the opportunity to prepare for exams, hone their study skills and revise their course content as they normally would in sitting for GCSEs,” said Leighton Park’s head of sixth form, Helen Taylor.
“The Bridging Programme aimed to replace that experience for them, to ignite their interest and curiosity and ensure they are ahead of the game in reviewing the material they will need next year.
“It also means that students, like Harry, who were uncertain about their choice of subjects can actually start off studying more and choose before the autumn term.”
And Harry was a member of Leighton Park’s inaugural Engineering GCSE course, which complements the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) subjects.
He said: “The course combined my passion for physics with my love of problem solving and I wish I could do it all again.”
Mark Smith, Head of DT and Engineering was pleased with his first set of engineering results.
“In spite of all the disruption at the end of the year they put in extra work to get their coursework finished by the end of March and it has really paid off for them,” he said.
“I am delighted.”
Another top scoring student, Miriam Sesay, who is going to be studying music, maths and physics at A-level collected her results with her mum, Aminata Kalokoh.
“She worked very hard. I think she would probably have got even higher if she’d been allowed to sit the exams, but these are a decent set of results,” Aminata said.
And Minahil Adnan came in with her brother, Ahmer, who secured his place to read medicine at Imperial College with his A Level results last week.
“I didn’t feel too stressed about today as I had done everything that I could do,” said Minahil.
“The teachers are friendly and really work to get to know students. The teachers have played a huge part in my success in everything thus far.”
