It’s GCSE day for Derbyshire students! – SCHOOL UPDATES

Schools have been contacting us to say how they’ve got on – keep checking this page throughout the day.

Tupton Hall School, Chesterfield

Years of hard work and dedication paid off for year 11 students at Tupton Hall School as they collected their eagerly awaited GCSE results.

More than half of the cohort achieved the gold standard benchmark of at least five A* to C grades including English and maths. The number of students gaining more academic GCSE qualifications at A* to C has also risen since last year.

Many Tupton Hall youngsters will continue their studies at Tupton Hall Sixth Form, which last week achieved the best A level results in the school’s history, placing it among the best performing post-16 centres in Derbyshire.

Headteacher Andrew Knowles said: “We are pleased that the vast majority of our students have achieved the necessary qualifications to enhance their life chances. We are very proud of their achievements. Young people are not statistics and so we are delighted that so many of them have excellent results that reflect their ability, effort and commitment. I am grateful for the conscientious hard work of our teaching and support staff who have taught, supported and nurtured our students with genuine care and attention throughout their time at the school.”

One of the highest achievers was Emily Jolly, who achieved seven A*s and three As at GCSE. She also completed an optional GCSE in astronomy outside of school hours, gaining a B grade.

She said: “I cried when I got my results. I was hoping for a few A*s but to get this many feels amazing,” said Emily. Emily will study chemistry, biology, maths and Spanish at Tupton Hall Sixth Form from September and wants to pursue a degree in medicine.

She said her results were the product of “a lot of hard work”. “Tupton Hall is an amazing school,” said Emily. “The staff have been really supportive and I would not have been able to get this many top grades without them.”

Heather Lynch was another high achieving student, gaining two A*s and six As at GCSE. She will study A levels in biology, English literature, economics and psychology or geography next year.

One student who has battled adversity to achieve an outstanding set of results is Nicola Clarke. Nicola was diagnosed with leukemia in March and has not been to school since then. But she has emerged, after a grueling course of intensive treatment, with two As, two Bs and three Cs.

“I’m really happy with them, considering I wasn’t able to do any revision. I’ll be staying on at sixth form to do psychology, sociology, art and health and social care.”

Head of year 11 Rosey Cooper said Nicola’s hard work in year ten had set her up for a great set of results. “Nicola is a really conscientious student whose dedication to her studies before she became poorly has paid off. I’m very proud of her,” said Ms Cooper. “She serves as an example of the benefits of working hard in year 10 – the earlier the better.”

Bright young boxer Liam Dring is setting his sights on a career in the ring. The 16-year-old hopes to embark on the Advanced Apprenticeships in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme. It is aimed at boxers who have the realistic potential to achieve excellence and perform at the highest level, engaging them in full time training while gaining educational qualifications.

He said: “My ambition is to box for England or Great Britain. On this course I’ll learn things like sports massage and sports nutrition as well as training every day with England and GB coaches. The sports facilities at Tupton Hall are brilliant and coming here has helped me get closer towards my goal.”

A selection of outstanding students’ GCSE results:

Emily Jolly (seven A* grades, three A grades, one B grade

Damon Pegg (six A* grades, five A grades

Adam Wilbourne (six A* grades, four A grades)

Lydia Buxton (four A* grades and eight A grades)

William Thirkell (four A* grades, five A grades, six B grades, one C grade)

Outstanding results by subject:

100 per cent of grades achieved in biology, chemistry and physics GCSE were A* to Cs

94 per cent of grades achieved at art GCSE were A* to Cs

91 per cent of grades achieved at French GCSE were A* to Cs

St Mary’s Catholic High School, Chesterfield

Pupils at St Mary’s Catholic High School have achieved outstanding results in this year’s GCSE exams.

Eighty-four per cent of pupils achieved 5 or more A* to C grades; 70 per cent including English and maths.

Headteacher Sean McClafferty said: “The results are a testament to the incredible hard work of our pupils, the support of parents and the dedication of the school’s exceptional staff. “Our aim is that every pupil fulfils his or her potential and has the qualifications to move on to the next stage of their education or career. We are extremely proud of all of our young people.”

Brookfield Community School, Chesterfield

A spokesman for Brookfield said: “We are pleased that again this year students have achieved some outstanding results which will allow them to go on to seek further success in further education and employment.

“The five A* to C including English and maths figure was 66 per cent whie the overall five A* to C pass rate was 73 per cent. Thirty per cent of students gained three or more A/A* grades and, once again, no student left the school without any qualifications.

“There were many individual success stories. Particularly noteworthy were the following students: Kolawole Ayonrinde achieved an outstanding 11 A* grades, Thomas Graus achieved ten A* grades. Phyllida Buswell, Amber Connolly, Emily Dods, Daniel Germon, Josephine Ma, Dominic Newman, Jessica Oldham and Kathryn Phipps achieved all A*/A grades. A further 29 students achieved eight or more A*/A grades. In addition to high levels of attainment a number of students have made exceptional progress.

“These results, achieved against a national context of higher thresholds and variation, are a testament to the ongoing hard work and dedication of students and staff. As well as producing very good examination outcomes, we work hard on producing well rounded young people. All the students contributed fully to the life of the school and we wish all of them the very best for the future.”

Shirebrook Academy

Shirebrook students were celebrating after collecting their GCSE results – with the head boy smiling the most.

Dylan Collier, the head boy at Shirebrook Academy, was ecstatic after opening his envelope and finding 13 A* and A grades inside.

And Katie Press was celebrating after achieving nine A* and A grades – and 14 A* to C grades overall.

Danielle Spencer got 14 A to C grades and Chantal Gascoigne achieved ten A* and As, having 14 A* to C grades overall.

Overall, 61 per cent of the pupils achieved A* to C grades, including English and maths.

Julie Bloor, the principal of the academy, said all the staff were incredibly proud of everyone’s achievement.

She said: “We have an amazing set of results and we are delighted for all our students who collected them today.

“Most are going to further education and we are delighted at the amount of people who have chosen to stay on at the Aspire sixth form centre.”

The overall pass rate is down on last year – but with a multitude of changes that have taken place over the last year, it is hard to make a year-on-year comparison.

Speaking and listening was not part of the assessment in English this year, and changes to the marking were also introduced.

Some vocational and BTEC courses cannot be included this year, whereas they were included in last years’ overall result.

But Mrs Bloor said that the figures do not take away from the incredible individual results.

She said: “Everyone worked so hard to get the results they did and it is a testament to their incredible drive to get what they wanted.

“Both staff and pupils worked together, making sure they were well prepared and knew what to expect when it came to the exams.

“We are so proud and wish everyone the best of luck with their future education.”

Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School

Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School has celebrated its best-ever GCSE results.

Eighty per cent of students achieved five or more A* to C grades and results at five or more A* to C grades including English and maths were up five per cent to 74 per cent.

Headteacher Teresa Roche said “I am delighted for students and staff who have achieved superb results particularly when they have had to deal with so many changes imposed by the Government during the course of their GCSE studies. They responded magnificently and their commitment and dedication has brought about huge success with 20 subjects reaching over 80 per cent A* to C passes and with 13 subjects over 90 per cent. I would also like to thank our parents for their support for our students and our school. Our very best wishes to all as they move on to the next stage of their careers.”

Eckington School

Headteacher Patrick Cummings congratulated the large number of Eckington School students who did so well in their GCSE results this year.

Among the highest attainers are the 12 students listed below:

1 Beth Rhodes: six A*s, four As

2 Joshua Mowbray: two A*s, six As, three Bs

3 Roma Patel: five A*s, five As, one B

4 Matthew Nutt: two A*s, four As, four Bs, one C

5 Rachel Pack: four As, seven Bs

6 Oliver Staples: two A*s, seven As, one C

7 Thomas Mayo: two A*s, three As, five Bs

8 Ethan Johnson: five As, six Bs

9 Emma Hartley: three A*s, four As, two Bs

10 Hannah Sheldon: one A*, three As, five Bs, two Cs

11 Jack Thickett: one A*, five As, one B, three Cs

12 Alexandra Hennessey: one A*, three As, five Bs, one C

Lady Manners School, Bakewell

GCSE results show that year 11 students at Lady Manners School have made good progress.

Overall, 72 per cent of students achieved at least five grades of C or better.

An impressive 66 per cent of students attained five or more A* to C grades including English and maths.

Fifty-four students achieved at least seven full GCSE A or A* grades within their results, a slight increase from last year. These students are Bronwen Adlington, Hannah Askey, Angus Baldwin, Elysia Basford, Kit Battarbee, Sophie Beadsmoore, Charlotte Belton, Benjamin Bird, Georgina Botham, Alice Brown, Sarah Burnard, Rachel Burnley, Florence Chappell, Freya Clarke, Joseph Cruttenden, James Davison-West, Alice Dawes, Cameron Dawes, Sophie Dillon, Mollie Edge, Samuel Edmans, Jake Edmiston, Rosie Elliott, Megan Ewens, Daniel Garland, Joe Gibbs, Alexander Givens, Finlay Goodwin, Euan Greatorex, Obi Groombarke, Alistair Hickman, Matthew Horry, Bethany Isle, William Jackson, Megan Jones, Charlotte Kidd, Rosemary Kreit, Emma Lawrence, Jack Lenton, Dusty Mason, Thomas Moores, Fenn Newsome, Thomas Parker, Kirsty Porter, Sophie Pritchard, Joss Spear, James Spittle, Matthew Sully, Josephine Walbank, Daniel Ward, William Ward, Barney Whiteside, Stephanie Williams, and Olivia Willingham.

Headteacher Duncan Meikle has said: “Students and staff have worked hard and these successes are well deserved.”

Anthony Gell School, Wirksworth

Students at Anthony Gell School are celebrating record GCSE results.

Seventy-one per cent of students gained five higher grades, including English and maths, beating the school’s previous best by five percentage points.

Headteacher David Baker said he was absolutely delighted with the results and congratulated all the students on their achievements.

He said: “These results represent the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by our students and it is fantastic that so many students have passed key subjects with such high grades. This gives them the best range of choices for their futures.”

He added: “We all know how important good qualifications are, but it is also a pleasure to see our students develop into such mature and independent young people and it has been a real pleasure to work with them.”

Highfields School, Matlock

The class of 2014 at Highfields School has celebrated outstanding results.

Overall the percentage of pupils gaining five A* to C grades including English and maths stands at 69 per cent.

However, the number of pupils achieving top grades has risen dramatically, with 20 pupils achieving ten or more A* and A grades.

Headteacher Eddie Wilkes said: “These results represent the outcome of a great deal of hard work by staff and students, led by head of year 11 Nicola Gresswell, who has done a great job of keeping everyone going.”

Charlotte Kirk, who achieved ten A*s and one A, said: “I feel absolutely stunned and relieved to finally learn my grades. I would like to say a big thank you to all the staff who supported me, I could not have achieved this without them. I can’t wait to start Highfields’ sixth form now.”

Simon Finney, who achieved eight A* and three A grades, added: “Words can’t describe how this feels. Highfields were always there to support me with teachers who have always been willing to give up their time. On to A levels now!”

Hope Valley College

Students at Hope Valley College are celebrating having recorded another strong set of GCSE results.

Sixty-six per cent of students gained five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, with an impressive 25 per cent of students results including five or more A and A* grades.

Principal Bernie Hunter said: “We are delighted that this year the college, collectively, has once again achieved an impressive set of GCSE results.

“For a quarter of our students to have recorded a minimum of five A and A* grades is truly staggering.

“Against a national picture of turmoil, brought about by changes in central Government policy which makes year on year comparisons difficult, the results achieved by our students are impressive and reflect a pattern of strong academic achievement and individual progress. The college and its students have excelled and we are exceptionally proud of our successes.”

Tibshelf Community School

Tibshelf Community School has had much to celebrate since moving into its new premises in November 2013.

However, moving to a new building is never easy when you are a year 11 student trying to concentrate on your examinations in the summer.

But teachers and parents were delighted to see a new GCSE record set with 63 per cent of students achieving A* to C grades in English and maths.

Special congratulations are due to Neely Middleton, who achieved ten A*s and one A; Katherine Waring with seven A*s, two As and one B; Grace Birch with five A*, five As and one B; Kieran Kourdache with four A*s, four As and one B; Bailey Jones, who managed four A*s and five As; Billie Gaynor with three A*, three As a B and a C; Josie Morris with two A*s and seven As and also to Jessica Hill, who achieved two A*s and eight As.

Mount St Mary’s College, Spinkhill

Daine Abdul, 10,10, Luis Arregui, 7, 5, William Atkinson 6,1, Riccardo Azzi, 6, 1, Emily Beard, 9, 9, Henry Belfiori, 10, 3, Harry Birch, 10, 10, Sam Bissett, 7, 2, Eloise Brooks, 10, 8, William Burden, 10, 4, Silas Burke, 10, 10, Luke Calvert Wood, 8, 2, Matthew Chambers, 8, 6, Marco Cheng, 7, 5, Aaron Chu, 5, 2, Emma Clarkson, 10, 10, George Collins, 9, 7, Dan Connelly, 10, 10, Lucy Coughlan, 9, 8, Oliver Court, 10, 10, Charlie Dempsey, 8, 4, Georgia Dillon, 8, 4, Ralu Emeka, 8, 6, Jose Escobar, 4, 2, Jordan Falding, 9, 4, Lauren Field, 8, 4, Joe Grainger10, 8, John Henderson, 10, 9, Joel Johnston, 6, 4, Henry Judd, 9, 9, Ada Kalu, 9, 9, James Keely, 9, 8, Ian Kitchin, 9, 7, Matthew Kulmer, 10, 9, Spencer Leadbeater, 9, 7, Toby Leverett, 10, 8, Chun Ho Liu, 8, 8, Calum Lloyd, 9, 8, Petro Lukach, 5, 4, Teo Madigan, 10, 9, Will Mayze, 6, 1. James morgan, 8, 3, Elias Murra, 9, 9, Bailey Nelson, 7, 3, Cole Newell, 8, 2, Wonu Omoworare, 10, 3, James Parker, 9, 8, Alvaro Peregrin, 5, 4, Maria Perez, 7, 3, Connal, Plant, 8, 7, Jack Roberts, 9, 7, Sam Roberts, 7, 2, Hari Seol, 4, 1, Thomas Shaw, 10, 10, Marie-Claire Stephenson, 9, 5, Michael, Sterland, 6, 2, James Thompson, 10, 10, Tom Tse, 7, 2, Eric Tuttey, 2, 2, Michael Wallace, 10, 9, Harriet White, 10, 10, Luke Whyman10, 6, Grace Williams, 9, 9, Samuel Windle, 9, 9, Vladimir Windle, 9, 7, Ho Pan Wong, 6, 4,

Birkdale School, Sheffield

One third of Birkdale School students achieved A* marks – 60 per cent were A* or A grade.

Maths and physics achieved a 100 per cent pass rate at A* to C.

Sheffield High School

Once again the girls at Sheffield High School have achieved excellent GCSE results, with almost a third of all entries graded A*, 62 per cent at A* or A grade and 85 per cent of all entries graded A* to B.

A very impressive 42 girls achieved a full set of A* and A grades each, with 20 of them achieving at least 8 A stars.

Headmaster Valerie Dunsford: “I’d like to congratulate all the girls and their teachers who, supported by their families, have achieved an excellent set of GCSE results.

“Once again, the girls have shown great strength of character by achieving so much academically while at the same time succeeding in a wide range of school activities outside lessons.”

Ten girls based in Derbyshire achieved an excellent set of all A* and A grade GCSE results. Top performer was Sophie Kitchin from Barlow near Dronfield who gained A* grades in all 12 subjects taken. Eve Adler, from Hathersage, Harriet Godkin-Haywood, from Walton, near Chesterfield, Sophie Peckett, from Grindelford, and Georgia Tracey, from Snitterton, all followed close behind with 11 A* and A grades each.

Meanwhile, Lily Bolsover, from Dronfield, Eve Brown, from Barlborough, Rosalind Fomin, from Chesterfield, Olivia Molyneux, from Foolow, and Sophie Thomas, from Youlgrave, amassed a total of 50 A* and A grades between them.

GCSE results for Derbyshire students attending Sheffield High School:

Eve Adler: Biology A*, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A*, French A*, German A*, History A*, Latin A*, Latin Literature A*, Mathematics A*, Physics A;

Bethany Alldread: Biology C, Business and Economics C, Chemistry C, English Language B, English Literature B, History C, Mathematics B, Physics C, Spanish C, PE B.

Eve Brown: Biology A, Chemistry A, English Language A, English Literature A*, German A*, History A*, Latin A*, Latin Literature A, Mathematics A, Music B, Physics A.

Grace Brown: Biology A, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A*, German A*, HistoryA*, Latin A*, Latin Literature A*, Mathematics B, Music B, Physics A.

Eleanor Crewdson: Biology A, Business and Economics B, Chemistry B, English Language A, English Literature B, French B, Geography A, Mathematics B, Physics A, PE A.

Rosalind Fomin: Art & Design A, Biology A, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A, Geography A, German A, Mathematics A*, Physics A*, Religious Studies A.

Harriet Godkin-Haywood: Biology A*, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A*, French A*, Geography A, History A*, Mathematics A, Music A, Physics A, Spanish A*.

Sophie Kitchin: Biology A*, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A*, French A*, Geography A*, Greek A*, History A*, Latin A*, Latin Literature A*, Mathematics A*, Physics A*.

Sarah Lee-Liggett: Biology B, Chemistry B, English Language A, English Literature B, Geography C, German A, Mathematics C, Physics B, Religious Studies A, PE B.

Olivia Molyneux: Biology A*, Business and Economics A, Chemistry A*, English Language A, English Literature A, French A, Geography A*, Mathematics A, Physics A, PE A*.

Sophie Peckett: Biology A*, Chemistry A*, English Language A*, English Literature A*, French A*, Geography A*, History A*, Mathematics A, Performing Arts A*, Physics A*, PE A.

Isabella Pedersen-Vaern: Art & Design A, Biology B, Chemistry B, English Language B, English Literature C, Geography B, Mathematics C, Physics C, Religious Studies A, Spanish C.

Jade Pszenyczniak: Biology C, Chemistry B, Computer Technology B, English Language C, English Literature C, Geography C, Mathematics C, Physics C, Spanish C, PE D.

Saffrendeep Sall: Art & Design A, Biology A, Chemistry A, English Language A*, English Literature A*, German A, History A*, Mathematics B, Physics A, Religious Studies A.

Sophie Thomas: Biology A*, Business and Economics A, Chemistry A*, English Language A, English Literature A*, French A*, Geography A*, History A*, Mathematics A*, Physics A*.

Georgia Tracey: Biology A*, Business and Economics A, Chemistry A*, English Language A, English Literature A, Geography A*, History A, Latin A*, Latin Literature A*, Mathematics A*, Physics A*.

Alice Turner: Art & Design A*, Biology A, Business and Economics B, Chemistry A, English Language A, English Literature A, French B, History A, Mathematics B, Physics A.

Erin Williams: Biology B, Business and Economics B, English Language B, English Literature B, Geography C, German B, Mathematics C, Physics C, PE B.

Lauren Wolstenholme: Art & Design B, Biology B, Chemistry B, English Language C, English Literature B, Geography B, Mathematics B, Physics B, PE A.