It was a fitting end to the career of a Gorleston headteacher, as he celebrated another year of GCSE results with his pupils.
Rob Sherington, who has been headteacher at Cliff Park Ormiston Academy since 2009, said he was “absolutely delighted” with his school, where 57pc of pupils got an A* - C grade in maths and English.
He said it was even more channelling as the grade boundaries for maths had changed twice in the last two years, so a percentage which would have previously earned a student a C, could now see them score a D.
“We’ve always been in the top 20pc nationally for progress,” he said, and he was proud the school had kept that badge of honour.
“It’s a testament to their hard work. Those who turned up to revision classes in the winter have seen the results.”
Abdu-Allah Awad, 16, from Southtown was one of the school’s star pupils. He got six A*s and six As. He said: “I got more than I thought I would in terms of A*s. I used revision cards, they were the basis of my learning.”
He said the teachers had been really supportive, and to celebrate he was going to ask his mum to order a pizza. Abdu-Allah will be studying maths, chemistry, physics and biology at East Norfolk Sixth Form College.
Jodie Donovan, 16, is also going to East Norfolk after getting five A*s, five As and 2 Bs. She said she did better than expected and had been revising with her parents testing her.
“They’ve been really supportive,” she said. “I put in loads of work, I’m really excited to start at the sixth form.”
Almost two-thirds of pupils at Flegg High School in Martham received A*-C grades in both English and maths, with 62pc achieving these marks.
The school also received its best results in Science since 2011.
Principal Simon Fox said: “We are delighted with the school’s results this year, especially following our recent ‘good’ Ofsted.
“This is down to the hard work and energy, not only of the students, but also the staff, combined with the support of families, governors and the wider community.
Chloe Tovell, 16, received seven A* grades, however it was the A in maths she received that pleased her the most.
Miss Tovell said: “I couldn’t stop crying when I opened my envelope - I was praying for a B in maths, so to get an A is amazing.”
Cody Abel, 16, got four A*s, 6 As and a B, said he was “overwhelmed” by his results.
He said: “If I’m being honest I thought I would get a few more Bs.”
Kate McNelly, 16, came away with 6 A*s and 5 As, and is now preparing to study biology, chemistry, physics and maths at college.
She said: “I was very nervous before but now I’m so pleased. I did not expect to get an A* in physics, I found the exam really difficult so was very worried.”
There was success at other schools in the borough too. At Ormiston Venture Academy 54pc of students achieved A* - C in both English and maths, with English especially strong.
There were a number of individual success stories, including Susan Hart, who achieved an eight A* and A grades. Susan combined revision with fundraising and volunteering for St John’s Ambulance, even supporting adult volunteers with a cardiac arrest. Susan’s wider contributions have already been recognised both by Buckingham Palace and by the local Lions’ association who have nominated her as their young ambassador for 2016.
Chloe Houghton, got nine A* to G grades which the school said demonstrates how a determination to achieve coupled with a personalised curriculum can overcome significant barriers to learning. And Yasmin Maskell also did well. Yasmin missed several years of secondary education and faced an uncertain future before joining Venture in year 11, but still achieved nine A* to C grades thanks to her determination that challenging circumstances in her past would not be a barrier to her final year.
Principal Simon Gilbert-Barnham said: “I would like to congratulate all our students for their hard work and the excellent results they have achieved. We are very proud of them.
“It has been another year in which students, staff and our community have ensured that every child and their future is the focus of every minute of every day. We are committed to ensuring every child is prepared to go on to an exciting future, one in which we are proud to help them achieve.”
At Caister Academy, 58pc of pupils achieved the key measure.
Principal Michelle Strong said: “These excellent results reflect the hard work of students and the professional commitment and dedication of all of our teaching and support staff at Caister. As a school, we have met and exceeded some challenging targets for this cohort of students, and I am very pleased that so many of our Class of 2016 will now progress onto courses of their choice at local colleges or sixth forms or will start their apprenticeships with real self belief, confidence and a tremendous sense of achievement. Thanks must also go to the parents for their ongoing support of their children throughout the school.”
Stalham High saw 56pc of GCSE students with A*-C in English and maths. Amy Webb, headteacher, said: “This is a pleasing set of results for Stalham High School. I would like to congratulate all our students on their GCSE results. We are extremely proud that these results reflect their considerable hard work as well as the dedication and support of their teachers and parents.”
At Lynn Grove Academy, in Gorleston, principal Alison Mobbs was “delighted” with the results, which saw 64pc of students reach the attainment level.
Mrs Mobbs said: “We are delighted with the results achieved by our year 11 pupils. They have worked hard, shown remarkable determination and made the best of all the opportunities offered to them by our dedicated staff team. Whatever their starting point they have made good progress – we’re proud that they are leaving us resilient, resourceful and ready for the next stage. We wish them all well.”
Acle Academy performed well, upping their percentage of student achieving the A* - C in both subjects to 67pc. Headteacher Gerard Batty said: “This has been an incredibly difficult year for the school, and there has been a lot of change. The Wensum Trust was charged with coming in to give the Year 11 the best possible chance, and the students, staff and parents have just responded magnificently.
“This is a firm step in the right direction in the recovery of the school to where it should be, but we are not there yet.
“It’s a fantastic reaction to really dire circumstances, and will give the school real confidence moving on.”
• Results for Great Yarmouth High School will be added when we receive them.
• See tomorrow’s Mercury for more success stories.
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