Scenes of celebration across Derbyshire Dales as GCSE results arrive

As the first year group since 2019 to sit a full season of external exams, the youngsters faced a rite of passage more familiar to generations before them – but their successes are all the more remarkable for overcoming lockdowns, long spells of online learning, illness and all the other complications wrought by the pandemic.

While schools are still processing all the data, Highfields School in Matlock suggested the class of 2022 had achieved the best results seen there for several years.

Head of year 11 Alison Ruston said: “Throughout the year we have been very aware of the impact that Covid disruption has had on this year group so I am absolutely thrilled that their resilience and determination has been rewarded with some truly amazing results. I am extremely proud of all they have achieved.”

73 per cent of Highfields students passed English and maths at grade 4 or above, equivalent to the old A*-C grades, with 56 per cent achieving ‘strong’ passes at grade 5 or above in both subjects.

There were many notable individual stories at every level of the attainment ladder. At the top end, 17 students gaining eight or more passes at grade 7 (the old A) or above – with a grade 9 recognising exceptional attainment above the previous A*.

Three students each achieved six or more grade 9s, and a further 28 achieved at least one coveted top grade. Close to 50 per cent of the year group recorded at least one grade 7 or higher.

Headteacher Andrew Marsh said: “We are here to give children the skills and knowledge they need to go out into the world and make a positive difference. I am so pleased that these results will enable these students to move one step closer to doing exactly that. Congratulations to all.”

There were also many reasons to be pleased at Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth where staff and students reported another set of excellent grades, many bettering their ambitious target grades across a wide range of subjects.

Headteacher Malcolm Kelly was delighted and quick to praise everyone involved for the way they had approached the challenges they had faced.

He said: “It was wonderful to see so many overjoyed people in school this morning. We are immensely proud of the work and achievements of all our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted couple of years. Staff have worked tirelessly to ensure students are able to progress in a range of different pathways.

“The strong partnerships which exist between students, staff, and the students’ families have helped in securing these grades. I am pleased that another group of students, each with their own recent experiences and unique goals, have been able to benefit from our broad curriculum, the excellent support which has been provided and the extensive range of courses at AGS.”

Within days, a significant number of Anthony Gell students will begin their post-16 qualifications in the school’s Sixth Form. Others have gained the qualifications necessary to take the first steps on alternative paths, including courses in nearby colleges and highly sought-after apprenticeships.

Malcolm added: “Our students have approached their studies with determination, resilience and fortitude, making the most of the opportunities which have been made available to them.

“It is equally as important to remind ourselves that any set of exam results do not tell the full story about the full range of talents a person has. These young people have so many skills and attributes which are not measured by an examination.

“They have grown physically, mentally and emotionally during their time at AGS and they are outstanding ambassadors for their generation and excellent role models for their younger peers. These students have very exciting futures ahead of them and we look forward to seeing all they will go on to achieve.”

In Bakewell there were more tears and laughter at Lady Manners School, where headteacher Gary Peat said: “Congratulations to all our students who have achieved excellent results, with many outstanding individual successes. This has been a unique and challenging period for all students taking examinations, and they should be immensely proud of their achievements. Their hard work has certainly paid off for them.

“We wish all our students well as they progress to the next stage of their education, including many who have applied to continue their studies at Lady Manners’ Sixth Form.”

Further north at Hope Valley College, students collectively achieved GCSE and Level 2 vocational qualification results of which they can feel rightly proud.

Overall, 79.8 per cent achieved grade 4 or higher in English and maths – 61.5 per cent at grade 5 or higher – and 21 per cent of all grades awarded to Hope Valley students were at the highest grades of 8 or 9. In addition, 38 per cent of the grades awarded for vocational subjects were at the highest levels of Distinction or Distinction*.

Principal Gaynor Jones said: “I am so proud of our students, who have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results. Their adaptability and resilience through all that the last two years has thrown at them is inspirational. Congratulations to them all – they have been amazing.

“I’d like to thank them for being such excellent role models for our younger students, who now follow in their footsteps. My thanks also go to their families and our staff who have supported them through this period.

“We are a small school, giving everyone the chance to shine and today is a day for our year 11 students to enjoy their success before they move on to the next step of their journey. We know that their futures are bright, whether they are headed to Sixth Form, college or into an apprenticeship.”

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