A proud day for Wigan schools and students

Youngsters have been facing tough new challenges in the exam stakes of late with the gradual introduction of tougher courses, many completely reliant on the final papers sat in May and June.

Overall in Wigan, initial figures showed schools have increased the number of students attaining a strong pass in English and in mathematics separately.

The percentage of children achieving a standard pass has increased and the percentage of children achieving a strong pass in the combined English and mathematics measure has been maintained.

Under the new grading system, students with a Grade 4 will have achieved a “standard pass” while those with a Grade 5 will have achieved a “strong pass”.

Many borough schools were reluctant to issue performance statistics because it is difficult to compare the new numerical results and tougher exams with the older, more course-work/continuous assessment A* to E ones. As a result it was impossible to bring out the traditional league table this year.

But many reported improvements on the first year of grades 1 to 9.

Headteacher of St John Fisher RC High at Beech Hill, Alison Rigby, said: “I feel our results are heading in the right direction and I look forward to working with our experienced and committed staff to make further improvements over the coming years.

“These results are a credit to the staff and the pupils who have worked really hard this year.”

At Lowton High 70 per cent achieved a standard pass in five GCSE subjects including English and mathematics (A*-C in old money): a massive 10 per cent improvement from last year.

A spokesman said: “Our GCSE students have truly surpassed our expectations.

“They move on to the next stage in their lives’ journey ready to succeed, not only as a consequence of the record-breaking results they have achieved, which were a significant improvement on last year’s examinations results, but because they leave us as wonderfully rounded, confident, independent members of our community.”

At Westleigh High head Carlton Bramwell said: “Congratulations to the class of 2019 who through hard work and determination have gone on to secure our best examination result under an increasingly rigorous exams system.”

Among the highest achievers were students Daniel Pitt and Liam Preston who secured the much coveted gold standard grade 9 in multiple subjects, placing them in the top two per cent of the country for computer science, maths, English language and biology.

Despite controversy about the reformed GCSEs being difficult and stressful, the pupils at Ashton’s St Edmund Arrowsmith High were praised for “rising to the challenge” once again and produced top results.

Pupils Caitlin Taylor, Matthew Eaves, Kate Naylor, Lauren Holcroft and James Gaskell were singled out for achieving a mixture of grades of 8 and 9.

Head Mark Dumican said: “We are delighted to see our pupils’ hard work and has paid off and their grades are a reflection of their talent and ambition.

“The teaching staff worked relentlessly on their behalf, and I am delighted and proud to be the leader of this fantastic community.”

Deanery High School headteacher Mark Wood celebrated “superb results across a wide range of GCSE subjects”.

He added: “We are so proud that our pupils’ hard work has paid off.

“It is really pleasing to see so many students achieve the grades they deserve after working so hard. We look forward to welcoming them into our Sixth Form and to celebrating further success in the future.

“Thank you also to all the staff at The Deanery for their dedication, care and professionalism in preparing pupils so well. It is great to see such excellent exam results, despite the more challenging exams.” Standish High head of school Lindsay Barker said: “We are all extremely delighted with the wonderful results our students have achieved and this is testament to the hard work and dedication of the students, staff and the support provided by parents.”

Orrell Dean Trust head of resources Maria Finnigan said: “We are extremely proud of all our pupils’ achievements and hard work and we wish them all the best in the next stage of their education.”

Shevington High School’s headteacher Julian Grant said: “Students were delighted with excellent exam success and we are extremely pleased that our headline figures have improved in every category this year with record results in English and maths.”

Ashton Cansfield High’s headteacher Geoff Baker said: “We have had a big improvement on every measure compared to last year. We are all very, very proud of our year 11s who have worked incredibly hard and it is reflected in their results.

“Not only have they excelled academically, they have also developed into mature and very pleasant young people ready for the big wide world.”

Atherton Community School saw its results improve with 63 per cent of students achieved a Grade 4+ in English and 60 per cent Grade 4+ in maths.

Head of school Ben Layzell said: “I, Miss Povey, our executive headteacher, and all the staff are very proud of our pupil’s achievements and would like to congratulate a number of our pupils for their individual academic success and excellent personal progress.

“The staff have worked incredibly hard and achieved the best results to date for ACS.”

Astley St Mary’s chair of governors Jack Farrimond expressed his sincere congratulations to this year group for their “resilience, determination and success”.

Dean Trust head of school Paula Phillips said: “Our results reflect the tenacious attitude of all of our pupils and staff here at Dean Trust Rose Bridge and we’re so proud to celebrate our best ever maths and English results.

“We’re delighted at the improvement and know that the trajectory we are on to improve the school is only going to get better.”

Bedford High head Helen Phillips said: “Once again we are delighted with the results our young people have achieved. It is a real testament to the hard work they have put in and these results are well-deserved.

“There is a team behind every student that works hard to make sure they are performing to the best of their ability. At Bedford, we are fortunate to have great quality teaching staff who support our students every step of the way and we also get a phenomenal amount of support from our parents and guardians.”

And headteacher of Up Holland High School Paul Scarborough added: “Congratulations to all our Year 11 students who have secured another set of fantastic results at Up Holland High School.

The students demonstrated a real appetite for hard work and were really committed to their studies. This dedication and ambition has enabled them to secure bright and successful futures.

We wish them all well in the next stage of their lives, confident they will do well.”