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Three years of covid-related disruption has been highlighted by teachers who say this year's GCSE students have "undoubtedly" been affected.
Elizabeth College was the first of the Bailiwick's schools to publish its results this morning - with a 96% pass rate at grades 9 to 4 (equivalent to the old A* to C grades) and 52% of passes at grades 9 to 7 (A* to A equivalent).
The College released its data with the disclaimer that "following three years of covid-related disruption, this year sees a return to the pre-pandemic assessment levels of 2019 to determine GCSE grades". The College reiterated that "there have been no adjustments to the exams process to support this cohort of students whose education has undoubtedly still been disrupted".
Elizabeth College Principal, Jenny Palmer congratulated all of her pupils for their results saying that they've been rewarded for their hard work.
Pictured: Jenny Palmer.
“I am really proud of our students for this excellent set of results which are a credit to their hard work and dedication as well as a reflection of the support of their parents and our dedicated staff," she said.
Of the students sitting GCSEs at Elizabeth College this year, a third of all grades achieved were 9s and 8s while fifteen boys gained 9 or more passes at grades 9 to 7 (A*/A equivalent).
18% of passes achieved were 9s and two students achieved an impressive 9 passes at grade 9. 11 boys sat Additional Mathematics, a Level 3 qualification, securing an outstanding 9 As (the highest grade possible) and 2 Bs.
Mrs Palmer said this reflection of their hard work will set the boys up well for whatever they are choosing to do next.
"The vast majority of them will go on to study A Levels at Elizabeth College whilst others have opted to follow different pathways which include rugby scholarships in the UK and a variety of vocational courses locally."
Pictured: Kieran James, Principal of the Guernsey Grammar School.
2023 saw the final selective year group sit their GCSEs at the Guernsey Grammar School and Principal Kieran James agreed that their results have also been impacted by the covid pandemic.
They outperformed the 2019 cohort, the last time adjustments were not made for Covid which makes their achievements even more impressive he said.
“I think nationally we’re expecting results to be slightly down on 2019 or around that area, this shows just how focussed both our students and our staff have been on making sure their learning hasn’t been affected too much by the disruption.
“Obviously, the pandemic has impacted for everybody, but this year with very few adjustments in terms of the exams, it's been pretty much everything back to normal and the students have risen to the occasion, as of the staff, and I think testament to their hard work and their dedication that we've seen lots of smiles this morning.”
Pictured: Rob O'Brien, Principal of Blanchelande College.
Blanchelande College saw 98% of pupils achieve grades 4 and above in English and Maths which Principal Robert O'Brien said students should be delighted with because exam results have been more stringently assessed this year.
"Many of Blanchelande’s Year 11 students and their parents will be delighted with their achievements, the culmination of many years of hard work by them and their teachers," he said.
"As is often the case, Blanchelande supports a wide ability range and therefore we are most interested in the value-added scores, that is, whether students have met – or even exceeded – their predicted grades. Many of our students have done just that and will be delighted with their results which position them very strongly for A-Level study and other post-16 pathways.It’s terrific to see 98% of our students pass in English and 88% in mathematics and overall 88% of students achieved at least five grades 9-4 (including English and mathematics), and 16% of grades were 9-7."
Blanchelande's Adjusted Attainment 8 score for 2022/23 is 50 for its cohort of 40 students.
Ladies College Attainment 8 score is 72 with a cohort of 69 girls.
The College said its students have "again achieved impressive results for this year’s GCSE examinations".
46% of all results were at an A* level (Grade 8 or 9) and 98% at an A*-C level.
Ladies College Principal, Daniele Harford Fox said: "I’m so impressed by what the girls have achieved. Sometimes we forget as adults what it means to prepare for upwards of ten subjects with multiple exams for each, over just a few weeks – it’s an immense feat."
Pictured: Danielle Harford-Fox (Credit: Chris George).
Ms Harford-Fox also address her personal concerns with the Attainment 8 rating which the States has adopted for reporting the island wide achievement at GCSE level from this year.
"The results are wonderful and I think there is real value in taking into account a wider number of GCSE results this year rather than just the top five. However, I do have concerns that Attainment 8 implies that some subjects (such as Religious Studies and the arts) are less central to a curriculum than others.
"We are in a moment when the skills developed by debating ethics, understanding different cultural perspectives and building our ability to innovate and create seem increasingly important. I’m really proud that at the College we are able to offer an incredibly wide range of subjects, not least our unique Digital Enterprise Course, allowing the girls to explore and develop a diverse set of skills."
Final Grammar students collect exam results
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