Today is GCSE results day and pupils in schools across Wokingham borough – and just over the border – are celebrating their grades.

We’ll be bringing you updates from the schools as we get them.

The Abbey

THE ABBEY’S Year 11 students received a splendid set of GCSE results on Thursday, August 25.

Over 90 percent of all results were between grades 7-9, which are the equivalent of straight A and A*s in the former grading scheme.

Just under half, 47 percent, of all entries were the top grade 9, and over 75 percent were either 8s or 9s.

In total, 22 students secured nine or more grade 9s and a quarter of the year group received 8s and 9s across the board.

Head of The Abbey School, Will le Fleming, commented: “We are so proud of the year group as a whole and for what they have achieved, given all that has happened over the last two years.

“But above all we are proud of every single individual. Our goal is to support each student to achieve their own personal best and to live and study with joy.

“We are so grateful to the wonderful staff, across every role in the school, who have supported and guided students and helped them achieve these results.

“We can’t wait to work alongside this brilliant cohort as they go on to Sixth Form and all that lies beyond.”

Bracknell and Wokingham College

STUDENTS and staff at Bracknell and Wokingham College enjoyed a fantastic set of GCSE results on Thursday, August 25.

Over 96 percent of students sitting maths or English achieved a pass.

Many of the Activate Learning college’s candidates are resitting their exams to continue in education or progress their career.

This includes mature students requiring GCSEs for jobs and university.

Around a quarter of pupils who have taken an exam for English or maths at Bracknell and Wokingham College have improved the grades they previously obtained.

Anne-Marie Benson, received a grade 7 in English and 4 in maths, having returned to education after a long battle with bowel cancer.

Her fight inspired her to become a nurse as she studied an access to higher education nursing and midwifery diploma, achieving nine distinctions and one merit.

Of her results, he said: “I can’t believe it! I’m just in so much shock. I never thought that I’d be able to do this, but I have!

“It was brilliant studying here at college, I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve encouraged my daughter to study a T Level in Health here in September instead of staying on at

sixth form at school.

“It was scary returning to education as an adult, but also very exciting. The college and teachers have all been really supportive.”

Both Anne-Marie and her daughter Daisy are dyslexic, but pulled together to revised their GCSE subjects together.

In September, she will go on to study adult nursing at the University of West London.

Cheri Ashby, deputy chief executive of Activate Learning, said: “GCSE results day is such a special time for us at Activate Learning as often we see our students overcoming the barriers they have encountered in their studies previously, to improve their grades and succeed where perhaps they thought they would not.

“Once again, this year I am delighted to see so many students improving on what they have previously achieved, and to do so in the first public exams for two years – and for many of them their first since they were in Year 6 – is a real achievement.

“I would like to also express my thanks and appreciation to all our staff who have worked tirelessly over the past year to ensure our students achieve their qualifications.

Bracknell and Wokingham College offers part-time GCSEs in English and maths.

The college also offers two full-time GCSE pathways, the humanities pathway consists of English, maths, history, sociology and media.

The science pathway consists of biology, chemistry, English, maths and physics.

Bohunt School

THE first Bohunt students to sit GCSE exams collected their results on Thursday, August 25, making school history in the process.

Headteacher Ben Goodber said that there was so much happiness in the Arborfield school as students returned for a final time to collect their grades.

“It’s great to see them do so incredibly well,” he said.

In all, more than 80% of students received GCSE passes in English and maths “a really strong, secure set of results”, and around a third of the year achieved grade 7 and above.

“There’s been some real star performances from students, we’re really pleased with the results.”

The school opened in September 2016, and the Year 7 intake were, at the time, the only pupils. Over the past six years, it has grown but because of the covid pandemic, this is the first time that students have sat exams.

“It’s been an undiscovered territory, everything we’ve done has been a journey,” Mr Goodber said. “Reaching this point is a real measure of the progress they’ve made as young people that prepares them for the next stage of their lives: the skills, the qualities, the attributes they face.

“It’s great to see them do so incredibly well.”

He said that the whole school was celebrating the cohort’s achievements.

“We would have loved to have been able to celebrate last year, the first year to finish GCSEs (but not sit exams), but the pandemic didn’t make that possible.

“This is a platform for future years for us to build on, and we’re really looking forward to going from strength to strength.”

Among those celebrating were head girl Anita, who achieved 9s across all her subjects.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” she said, admitting that she had been anxious the night before, especially as her GCSE years had been disrupted by the pandemic.

“I had some exams that I felt were an absolute disaster,” she confessed, adding, “All the hard work in the last few months has paid off.”

She thanked friends, family and staff for their help along the way.

“The teachers really helped us and made it happen, especially during the pandemic,” Anita said. “All the teachers gave us so much support.”

In September, Anita’s learning journey will continue with sixth form education, studying maths, further maths as part of a STEM-based curriculum, but for now she is looking forward to celebrating with her friends and family.

“There are some free offers in restaurants too,” she said, smiling.

Anita isn’t the only one celebrating. When we spoke, Mr Godber was looking forward to hearing how his daughter had got on with her GCSEs, while his son received his A-level grades last week. And he is celebrating his school’s success with his staff.

“We’ve seen the community build up around us, and it feels like a coming of age, if you like,” he said.

“There’s a base for us to build on. I cannot wait for September 2023, when the sixth form will be opening. Students will be able to carry on their journey with us. We’re really looking forward to that.”

Bulmershe School

STUDENTS of a Woodley school have been praised for “an impressive achievement” according to its headteacher.

Grades at Bulmershe School placed it within the top 25% of schools across the country, with a number of subjects offering results in this band.

These include Art, Technology 3D Design, Technology 3D Graphics, Business Studies, Computer Science, Drama, English Language, Geography, Italian, Portuguese, Religious Studies, Russian and Statistics.

Amanda Woodfin said her pupils had shown resilience as they had coped with the disruption to their learning due to covid.

“Your results are outstanding. You are all exceptional, inspiring and talented young people, and we couldn’t be prouder of you,” she said to them.

“Enjoy the moment, savour your success. There are few times in life when you’ll put as much work into a single accomplishment as you have done for these results.

“Be proud, you deserve it for all the effort and commitment you invested during incredibly challenging circumstances.”

Ms Woodfin said the school was proud of all its students, and highlighted the achievements of the following pupils:

• Lilla – nine grade 9s at GCSE and one grade 8
• Aishanni – nine grade 9s and one grade 8
• Oscar – eight grade 9s, one grade 8 and one grade 7
• Abigail – seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and one grade 7
• Abbie – six grade 9s, one grade 8 and one grade 7
• Airah – five grade 9s, three grade 8s and two grade 7s
• Harish – five grade 9s, one grade 8s, one grade 7 and two grade 6s
• Bushra – three grade 9s and five grade 8s
• Zoe – three grade 9s, five grade 8s and one grade 6
• Charlotte – three grade 9s, six grade 8s and one grade six
• Felipe – three grade 9s, four grade 8s, two grade 7s and one grade 6
• Kathryn – three grade 9s, one grade 8, four grade 7s and two grade 6s
• Olivia – three grade 9s, two grade 8s, three grade 7s, one grade 6 and one grade 5
• Emily – two grade 9s, four grade 8s, two grade 7s and two grade 6s
• Emilie – two 9s, four 8s, two 7s, one 6 and one 5
• Keira H – two grade 9s, seven grade 8s and one grade 6
• Poppy – two grade 9s, two grade 7s, four grade 6s and two grade 5s
• Holly – two grade 9s, two grade 8s, four grade 7s, one grade 6 and one grade 5
• Aeila – two grade 9s, one grade 8 and three grade 6s

Airah made the most progress since joining the school, making over four grades of progress across all subjects. “Truly amazing,” Ms Woodfin said.

Sanaa, Harish, Keira H, Zoe, Rishabh, Kathryn, Andrea, Felipe, Aishaani, Cameron, Freya, Ibrahim, Charlotte, Sau Wen, Sarah, Daniella, Luis, Chloe, Sahil, Adam, Rachel and Lilla all made two or more grades worth of progress across all their subjects since joining the school.

“Well done, a fantastic achievement,” Ms Woodfin said.

“We look forward to welcoming Year 11 into our sixth form and continuing to work with you,” Ms Woodfin said.

“ For those that are leaving us, we thank you for your many contributions to school life here at Bulmershe. I wish you the best in all of your future endeavours.”

Emmbrook School

STUDENTS in Year 11 are celebrating “once in a generation” results as they collect their GCSE grades at Emmbrook School this morning.

The school reports that half of the cohort secured a 7 grade or above, equivalent to A and A* in the previous grading system.

English, Maths, and Science, produced the best combined exam results The Emmbrook has seen in a generation.

Emmbrook School said in a statement that it was “incredibly proud of the fantastic results achieved by our Year 11 students today.

“These students have faced so much uncertainty and disruption as a result of Covid-19 and yet showed

incredible resilience and maturity to produce results well ahead of 2019, when public exams

were last sat.”

Nick McSweeney, Head teacher at The Emmbrook School, said: “after five years there are always mixed emotions when we say goodbye to our Year 11s; inevitable sadness but also pride at seeing our

students do so well.

“This year, it was more important than ever that we kept our students focussed as there were so many who feared that the exams would be disrupted or even replaced entirely with teacher assessments like last year.

“Their incredible focus has now paid off and they can be proud of their achievements. We wish them all the very best for the future and look forward to seeing what they can achieve next!”

Pete Whitehouse, Assistant Headteacher for outcomes added “we are so very proud of this

cohort of individuals on making it through an incredibly challenging two years.

“These were the first students to sit GCSEs for three years, yet the way they approached their studies and prepared for their public exams demonstrated what a resilient and aspirational group they are.

“They managed to block out all the external noise around the uncertainty of exams and overcome the challenges of the disruptions of Covid.

“The outcome is a superb set of results which will allow them access to move on to the next stage of their journeys, for most this will be The Emmbrook Sixth Form, for others college or an apprenticeship.

“We look forward to working with the majority and wish all the others all the best for the next phase of their lives.”

Edgebarrow School

EDGBARROW School has congratulated its students, with around two in five grade entries being 7 or higher, equivalent to A Grades or higher.

As students collected their results on Thursday, August 25, the school reported that 87% of students attained levels 4 or higher grades in English and Maths, and two thirds attaining level 5 or higher.

It says also 14 of its students achieved grades 7 or higher for all of their results.

Edgebarrow School released a statement to congratulate its students for their hard work, saying: “we are very grateful to families for all their magnificent support.

“A special thanks goes to all our staff for their total commitment to the students throughout the year, as they have guided and supported students to secure strong results in a changing landscape.”

“We are very pleased that a large number of students have places in our Sixth Form and we look forward to working with them next year. Other students have also secured places at local colleges and on highly competitive apprenticeships.

“We wish them every success for their future.”

Forest School

STUDENTS at a Winnersh school are celebrating its best-ever GCSE results.

Staff at the Forest said the results cap off an exceptional academic year, with a number of sporting firsts, including winning the National Elite Cup, as well as organising a Shakespeare Festival and welcoming a number of authors to inspire pupils.

They said the students’ success “deserves the highest accolade”.

Some of the highlights compared to provisional national data:

• 81% of students achieved 9-4 against boys nationally at 76.7%
• 31% of students achieved 9-7 against boys nationally at 22.6%
• 25% of the students achieved a Grade 7 or above in English against national 23.5%, (no boys data available currently)
• 32% of the students achieved a Grade 7 or above in Mathematics against national 24.5%, (no boys data available currently)
• 74% of the students achieved a Grade 5 or above in English against national 61.1%, (no boys data available currently)
• 63% of the students achieved a Grade 5 or above in Mathematics against natioanl 56.6%, (no boys data available)

Many students obtained a grade 9, the highest, in their results across subjects.

Shirley Austin, Headteacher at The Forest Academy, said: “We were delighted last week with the A-level results, and the year 11 boys have continued and broken ALL previous records.

“Their results are the best ever, beating the last two years grades as well.

“It consolidates the accurate and fair grading over the past two years by Forest Staff.”

She said the school was incredibly proud of a fantastic year group.

“The year group has continually impressed staff with their resilience and perseverance throughout the past five years and especially during the examination series,” she explained.

“They simply live and breathe the ASPIRE motto through which, our students will continue to contribute to the local and wider community expanding the knowledge and skills developed at Forest.

“We are delighted to be able to offer the boys the opportunity to continue to exceed their expectations by joining our prestigious co-educational sixth form where we have more than 30 A-level and Vocational courses on offer, in addition to the many girls joining us this year to complete their journey of academic and personal development.

“We are very proud of our students as they always strive to achieve their best. It has been inspirational to watch our Year 11 students flourish, develop their self-confidence, self-belief, and motivation. These exceptional achievements were also supported by the inspirational teaching, hard work and dedication shown by all of the Forest teaching community.”

Ms Austin also praised her staff, particularly over the lockdown disruptions over the past two years.

“During the pandemic, the teachers demonstrated an unwavering commitment and persistence to provide the best learning opportunities for all students,” she said.

“This minimised the adverse impact the pandemic was able to have on students, their learning and future pathways. Everyone was already well equipped to use our Google Classroom infrastructure to work on enriched lessons whilst learning from home.

“I personally cannot thank my staff enough for their resilience during that period.”

The Forest said it wanted to congratulate all of its students, and highlighted some notable results, with all achieving GCSE grades far better than those predicted by their KS2 grades (which is used in the National Progress measure).

• Mokarram Muhammad
• Toby Mawer
• Affan Izzadeen
• Billy Kench
• Ethan Addae
• Alex Girnus
• Kevin Boadu

Leighton Park

LEIGHTON PARK students braved Thursday morning’s downpour to receive their GCSE results.

The school’s Year 11 managed to secure an outstanding 55 percent of grades between 7-9, significantly above the national average of 26.3 percent.

This was also a 5 percent increase from Leighton Park’s results from last year, when teachers assigned grades.

Esther Bodkin achieved eight 9s, an 8 and an A*. She said: “I’m very happy. I had a little happy cry this morning and am so pleased. I’m interested in going to Oxbridge and this is a good first step.”

Her mum, Justina, commented: “She’s worked really hard and we feel really proud of her. The school was really organised through the pandemic and teachers went out of their way with extra support in the lead up to the exams.

“I’m really pleased they were able to do live exams as these are such important skills.”

The Shinfield school showcased its excellence in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) subjects.

Grades 7-9 were achieved by 89 percent in computer science, 88 percent in physics, 74 percent in chemistry, 65 percent in biology and 60 percent in maths.

A splendid 95% of music candidates managed to achieve these same grades, which are the equivalent of As and A*s in the former grading scheme.

The school’s first cohort of budding filmmakers took the BTEC Creative Media Production and enjoyed strong results.

Jack Mancey, who achieved a distinction, enthused: “I enjoyed the freedom and creativity of the course. It felt like I was gaining real life skills. I’m planning to take the Level 3 Digital Film and Video Production course in the Sixth Form.”

Mr Matthew Judd, head of Leighton Park, said: “These students should be very pleased with their achievements. The absence of live external assessments over the last two years, disrupted learning due to national lockdowns and all the uncertainty that the pandemic brought has tested their metal.

“I pay tribute to their tremendous grit, character and resolve. They can now look forward to entering the Sixth Form with confidence.

“I would like to thank the whole team at Leighton Park for their remarkable dedication. They are true professionals, going above and beyond to support each individual.

A Leighton Park education is about much more than exam results but it is heartening to see their work validated in this way.”

St Joseph’s School

ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE students were rewarded for their endeavours, receiving a splendid set of GCSE results.

Despite sitting externally-assessed exams for the first time since 2019, candidates improved the percentage of top grades achieved.

A quarter of all exams were awarded a grade 9, up by 8 percent from last year, when teachers awarded grades.

Grades 8 or 9 were obtained in 46 percent of entries, in contrast to 27 percent in 2019, and 68 percent of results received were graded a 7 or higher.

This year, 12 percent of students achieved 8s or higher across the board, with 21 percent achieving 7s and above in all subjects.

This would be the equivalent of straight As in the old grading system.

Candidates performed particularly well in computer science, with everyone achieving a grade 9.

At least 80 percent of pupils achieved grades 7-9 in maths, further maths, geography, art and design, food tech and ICT,

Head Laura Stotesbury said: “I am delighted by these GCSE results which are a testimony to all the hard work that students have put in over the past two years – both in school and when having to learn remotely during the various lockdowns.

“I am thrilled by how many students have chosen to remain at St Joseph’s College to study for their A Levels and by how many new students are joining us in Year 12 this September. With a newly refurbished Sixth Form Centre and cafe, I am sure they will enjoy Sixth Form life and, in a few years, we will be celebrating their A Level results!

She continued by praising the set of results achieved together with last week’s strong A Level performance,

Ms Stotesbury thanked the school’s staff for their efforts and for ‘keeping the young people at the centre of all that we do’.

“When considered alongside our strong set of A Level results last week, it is clear that St Joseph’s College is gaining a reputation for academic success as strong as its excellent pastoral care.

This is thanks to the hard work of our impressive staff who keep the young people at the centre of all that we do.”

LVS Ascot

YEAR 11 students at LVS Ascot have collected their GCSE results on Thursday, August 25.The independent day and boarding school saw an overall pass rate for GCSE students of 92%.It also reported a 100% pass rate in English, Maths, and Triple Science, and a 100% pass rate in BTECs.

School Principal, Christine Cunniffe, said “We are delighted with the GCSE results this year, it is a testament to the brilliant work of our staff and pupils at LVS Ascot”.

Angelina, who achieved all 7s and above said “It was so nice to come into school to collect my results and share the moment with my teachers and classmates. I was thrilled with my results and I’m looking forward to starting sixth form at LVS Ascot.”

Archie, from Windsor said “I worked so hard to make sure I did all the right preparation and I’m so happy that this paid off with my results. I wish everyone the best in their next steps.”

Reddam House

STUDENTS at Reddam House in Sindlesham have been praised by the school’s principal.

More than half of the Year 10 students achieved 9-7 grades.

Overall, 15% achieved level 9s, 34% were levels 9-8, and 52% were levels 9-7.

Rick Cross, the principal of the school, which used to be Bearwood College, said: “I congratulate the students and staff for the fantastic GCSE results this year, which once again far exceed national averages and are among the very best in the local area.

“This is especially impressive considering the disruption in recent years due to covid.

“Reddam House continues to improve and excel academically and with these students now moving to A- levels, we can expect continued progress and success.”

St Crispins

WITH more than 80% of its GCSE students passing core subjects English and Maths, (grades four to nine), St Crispins School in Wokingham, is over the moon.

Head of year, Katy Travaga said:

“I am thrilled with the results that Year 11 have achieved this year.

“They have overcome so many obstacles over the last few years, worked tremendously hard and have some excellent results to show for it.

“They can now think to the future and enjoy the next stage in their education.

“Well done year 11!

“You have done yourselves, your families and teachers proud!”

Highlights from today’s results include nine students with top grades across the board, achieving high grades (seven to nine) in10 subjects.

Jessica Addy, James Barker-Lopez, James Berry, Josephine Browning, Elsie Done, Timur Mirzaev, Katie Morrison, Charlotte Mudd, Victoria Mudd, Thomas Sims, Vuk Stojkovic, Harry Thacker, Freya Wise, Charlotte Yarrow and Charley Yates all achieved these 10 high grades.

Harry Thacker did especially well, getting a level nine in all 10 of his exams.

The school is very diverse with students gaining excellent grades in a wide variety of languages, including French, German, Polish, Spanish and Chinese.

St Crispin’s School is a centre for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

With more than 80% of students achieving GCSEs in Maths, Computer Scence, and Science, the school is delighted with these results.

Headteacher Andy Hinchliff said:

“I am absolutely delighted for our students and their families.

“These are an exceptional set of results in a time of disruption and uncertainty.

“The students, staff and parents have worked enormously hard and have been rewarded with truly excellent results.

“I could not be more proud of our young adults.”

Oakbank School

OAKBANK SCHOOL students and staff revelled in a fantastic set of GCSE results on Thursday, August 25.

This year’s cohort sat external GCSE exams for the first time since 2019 and have overcome substantial disruption to their learning due to the pandemic.

An impressive 71 percent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or higher in English and 67 percent passed maths.

Every Oakbank candidate in the separate science course secured at least a grade 4.

Of note, Emily Edwards achieved 10 grade 9s, while Harry Chester obtained nine grade 9s and a grade 8.

Headteacher, Steve Jump, said: “We are all incredibly proud of the achievements of our Year 11 students this year. They have had to overcome unprecedented challenges these last couple of years and their achievements are testament to their positive attitudes and determination to succeed.”

The school said that this year’s results demonstrated a significant improvement for the school since the last externally-assessed exams in 2019.