GCSE Results Day 2024: Shropshire students celebrate success
Young people across Shropshire are nervously checking their GCSE results today, as they learn whether their hard work has paid off.
The annual tradition of collecting exam results marks a significant milestone in the lives of students, as it often determines their future paths.
Shropshire Council says that pupils have shown resilience and determination in achieving their GCSEs this year, despite the challenges and disruptions over the past few years.
Councillor Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Cabinet member for children and education, praised the hard work of the pupils, teachers, school staff, and parents/carers who supported them throughout their studies saying:
“I want to congratulate all our pupils who received their exam results today. This is such an important period for young people as they move on from school to continued education at school or college or as they enter further training and employment.
“Our Shropshire Plan sets the direction over the coming years to further overcome challenges seen over more recent years, enabling our children and young people to continue to prosper in their education.
“I would also like to thank our schools for their dedication and support for the pupils, and acknowledged the achievements of the students who have overcome difficulties and shown commitment to their learning.
“Our pupils’ achievements are a culmination of all the hard work, commitment, and dedication that they have shown throughout their studies, and I wish all of Shropshire’s pupils every success in the future.”
Students across Telford and Wrekin celebrate GCSE results
Students in Telford and Wrekin have received their GCSE results today, a large number of students in the borough have passed their GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications, demonstrating the hard work undertaken by staff and students.
Charlton School in Wellington saw particularly strong results for pupils in English, History, Engineering, Art, Drama and Dance.
Andy McNaughton, Principal at Charlton School, said: “We are delighted with the results the students have achieved, this is testament to the commitment they showed over their time in school and in particular with the additional sessions they attended in Year 11.
“Our results are fantastic and show the wide range of subjects available at the school for the students to study. We wish all our students the very best of luck for the future.”
Pupils at Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby School were also celebrating, with 9 students receiving six or more GCSEs at Grade 7 or above, and one young person receiving six Grade 9’s and a distinction.
Joanne Edgar, Principal at Haberdashers Abraham Darby, said: “We are proud of each and every one of our pupils collecting their GCSE and BTEC results today. For many, the hard work and commitment was rewarded and there were some impressive individual results, with some pupils having shown great resilience throughout their KS4 journey to overcome challenging circumstances and adversity.
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Education, Employment & Skills said:“This year’s GCSE exam results are the product of several years of hard work and commitment by pupils, their families, teachers and support staff across the borough, so I want to acknowledge them and thank them for all their efforts and dedication helping our students succeed.
“I want to congratulate everyone and wish them every success for their next chapter, whether that be going on to further qualifications or starting their working lives.
“If you’re not sure what to do next, remember our FutureFocus service offers free careers advice and guidance for anyone up to the age of 19, so you can pop in to Southwater One in the town centre on any weekday and have a chat with them.”
Another great year for GCSE students at LCT schools
The Learning Community Trust says it is incredibly proud of its students today after this summer’s GCSE results were revealed.
English, science and engineering performed particularly well across its five secondary schools in Telford & Wrekin - Hadley Learning Community, Ercall Wood, Charlton, Telford Priory and Burton Borough in Newport.
The Trust said it was also ‘very pleased’ to see students at each of the schools celebrating across-the-board high-grade passes.
Ercall Wood saw a continued improvement at grade four or above, including maths and English, building on the school’s overall progress during the past three years. Physics and biology also performed particularly well.
Charlton School continued to show improvement, with top performing subjects including history and physics, while top performing subject areas at Burton Borough School in Newport were art, biology and physics.
Hadley Learning Community recorded 100% pass rates on its engineering and health and social care BTEC courses, with one in five health and social care students achieving a distinction star. Languages GCSEs also performed well.
At Telford Priory School, sciences were again among the top performing subject areas, alongside languages and physical education.
At Kickstart Academy, which the Trust has been running for the past year, there were improved performances in functional skills, maths and English, and nine students are set for a career in construction after passing their health and safety in the workplace qualification.
The Trust also runs Queensway School in Telford, which caters for children and young people on the autistic spectrum, and those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
This school recorded an increase in GCSE achievement including English and maths, and every student has been able to access their next step and progress to further education.
Learning Community Trust deputy chief executive Paul Roberts said: “Our schools have worked tirelessly to provide students with the best possible progression opportunities.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to the parents and families for all of their support over the past year, working with us to help students meet their potential.
“Once again this year, our students have achieved the outcomes they need to go to college, apprenticeships or into employment and we are proud that our schools have provided the springboard for their successful futures.”
Telford College celebrates an excellent set of GCSE results
Telford College is celebrating another excellent set of GCSE results today, with English language high grades reaching their best level in five years.
There was also a significant increase in maths high grades (9-4), which were up nearly 5% on the previous year.
“These are absolutely fantastic results, reflecting all of the hard work from our students and staff. We are very proud of them,” said Christine Pemberton, the college’s vice principal for curriculum.
“Maths and English are so important, not just for our 16-19 students because they open up pathways to an incredibly broad range of courses and job opportunities, but also for our many adult learners who are now able to further develop their careers.
“We strive to offer adult learners flexible ways for them to improve their English and maths and we are delighted that so many have been successful.”
She added: “We look forward to seeing many of these students now progressing with us onto A levels, apprenticeships, or our range of T-Levels and vocational courses which we are expanding even further in September.”
Enrolment is now under way at Telford College for the 2024-25 academic year, and staff are on hand to discuss progression opportunities with GCSE students, and explain the range of opportunities available. Full details can be found at www.telfordcollege.ac.uk.
Last week Telford College celebrated another strong set of results for its A level, technical and vocational courses, with the percentage of high-grade pass rates from A* to C rising again.
The college’s first set of T-Level results included a 100% pass rate for digital students, and 100% pass rate for health students’ industry placement projects with the Integrated Care Service.
Vocational study highlights included 100% pass rates in aviation, engineering, business, media, music, and public uniformed services.
Wrekin College celebrates successful set of GCSE results
Wrekin College has announced an “exceptionally strong” set of GCSE results, surpassing the school’s performance both last year and in 2019.
40 per cent of all grades achieved by the pupils were at 7 or above, which is a significant increase compared with 2023.
The percentage of grade 9s awarded has increased by just over seven per cent when compared to last year. Over 12 per cent of GCSEs awarded this year were at the highest grade attainable.
Just under 80 per cent of all the grades achieved were at grade 5 (defined as a ‘strong pass’) or above, which represents a 3.1 per cent increase on the number of grades achieved at grade 5 and above in 2023 and a 5.5 per cent increase compared with 2019.
Discounting the three years where grading was distorted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s GCSE pass rate of 91.4 per cent is the highest the school has achieved in over a decade and is over six per cent higher than in 2019.
Mr Ben Smith, Deputy Head (Academic), said: “Our Fifth Form students have achieved an outstanding set of GCSE results this year.
“The proportion of top grades awarded has increased significantly, as has the school’s GCSE ‘pass rate’ in comparison with five years ago.
“This year’s results are particularly impressive considering that this is the first year since 2020 and the disruption caused by the pandemic when no substantial changes in the distribution of grades is expected at a national level.
“One would have anticipated that the percentage of grade 9s would remain very similar to the number achieved last year. Instead, it has increased this year by just over seven per cent.
“The same trend can be seen in the percentage of 9-7 grades awarded, which has risen this year by almost six per cent.
“These results demonstrate that Wrekin is extremely effective in supporting the most able to achieve at the highest levels at GCSE while also enabling the majority of students to achieve or, in many cases exceed, their academic potential.
“It is pleasing to see that the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, such as learning online during a formative stage of their secondary education, have had little discernible long-term impact on this cohort.”
Oswestry School students celebrate excellent GCSE results
Oswestry School pupils are celebrating their GCSE results today with a continued trajectory of rising grades, where 30% of grades were awarded the top bracket of 9-7.
This represents a 5% improvement on pre-pandemic levels and compares favourably with last year’s excellent results where 28% of grades were in this 9-7 bracket. More than 85% of grades from the 78 Fifth Formers (Year 11) sitting GCSE exams were in the 9-4 bracket, again comparing favourably with previous years’ results, and this represents excellent outcomes for this cohort of students.
Headmaster of Oswestry School, Peter Middleton, said: “As an inclusive, non-selective school, we place importance in supporting the aspirations of all pupils and I’m delighted with the personal bests that have been achieved from this group of hard-working students who have been brilliantly supported by their teachers and the wider staff support network.
“As our recent excellent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection testified, Oswestry pupils are confident learners benefiting from innovative and personalised teaching and learning, and are nurtured, encouraged and celebrated within a supportive, close-knit community. They can all be very proud of their achievements, and we look forward to supporting them as they move into their Sixth Form studies where we are confident, they will further thrive, flourish and find their forte.”
Concord College students achieve 'fantastic' GCSEs
Concord’s GCSE students have been celebrating their results this morning. Pupils at the Shropshire international school have achieved fantastic GCSEs with well over half of all grades at the highest possible grade 9.
An incredible 79% of grades were 8 or 9 – equivalent to the old A* grade - and over 55% of students in the year gained nine or more 8/9 grades each.
Principal Dr Michael Truss was delighted that the college’s results were once again outstanding.
“Our GCSE students work hard across a wide range of subjects and I’m delighted to see their hard work rewarded. Concord’s staff are tireless in their support of our students in their ambitions and seeing how well these young people have taken on every opportunity they have had has been a great pleasure.”
Echoing the sentiment, Head of Lower School Ms Sue Correll said: “Our students have shown extremely high levels of diligence to achieve such superb GCSE results and as a cohort they are creative, innovative, ambitious and resilient.
“They have supported each other admirably this year, and they enter the next stage of their education with both excellent qualifications and an international perspective, with close friends from every part of the globe.”
Ellesmere students celebrate GCSE results success
Ellesmere College students are today celebrating excellent GCSE successes.
The results this year saw a 89% pass rate, well above the average UK pass rate of 67%, with 28% of grades in the top 9-7 range (A*/A equivalent).
Many of the current students are now looking forward to returning to the College in September to continue their academic journey into Sixth Form and study their choice of A Levels, International Baccalaureate (IB) or BTEC Sport course for the next two years.
Acting Headteacher Vicky Pritt Roberts said: “It is a pleasure to see how well pupils have achieved. These GCSE results are a testament to their exceptional attitude, unwavering commitment, and remarkable perseverance throughout the academic year.
“Our pupils have demonstrated not only their academic capabilities but also their determination and resilience in overcoming challenges along the way.
“This success reflects the dedication and hard work of the students, parents and the staff, who have supported them every step of the way.
“They are now very well prepared to embark on their Sixth Form programme with us and we look forward to seeing them in September.”
Moreton Hall GCSE success one third higher than national average
Moreton Hall pupils and staff are celebrating today with the long awaited results’ envelopes revealing a bumper crop of GCSE results.
With 45% grades awarded 8 to 9, and 24% of those at grade 9, the results showcase outstanding performances across all disciplines: STEM, Humanities, Languages and the Creative Arts. 99% of the grades awarded are at grade 4 and above, the all-important threshold for a pass, a third higher than the national average of 67%.
There is all the more cause to praise these pupils given their experience of the Covid disruptions which started in their first year in Senior School in Year 7; they triumphed over all the effects of the pandemic thanks to their hard work and the dedication of their teachers to overcome the challenges which faced their cohort.
Reflecting on today’s results Moreton Hall Principal Michael Brewer said: “Moreton Hall girls have once again achieved incredible GCSE results. There is so much here to celebrate, both individually and collectively. Our girls have been tenacious in their pursuit of grades that will support them in their future ambitions.
"Whilst the grades are indeed impressive, the journey taken to receiving today’s results envelope is what will set our Moretonians up for a wide range of success throughout their lives: diligence, determination, camaraderie and a positive outlook have been evident throughout; long may that continue to be the case.”
