There were tears of joy at Leek High Specialist Technology School on GCSE results day.
Students were overwhelmed with happiness and relief as they picked up record-breaking grades which exceeded all expectations. The class of 2009 built on the record results from last year with over 20% gaining at least 10 GCSEs at C or above and the proportion of students attaining five or more A* to C grades exceeding 65% - an improvement on last year’s `best ever` score.
A delighted Acting Headteacher John Spencer said: “‘Once again we have beaten our internal targets and those set by the Government. Our results are improving year on year. We have gone from 43% gaining at least five top grades in 2006 to 65% now. This is terrific progress.
“I’m especially pleased with our Maths results at 67% and BTEC Sport as this is a new course for us and every student achieved the equivalent of at least a grade C with 20% gaining A or A* grades.
“We also enter some of the most able students a year early for maths and, of the 18 entries, 5 got A*, 8 got A and 5 got Bs: a superb performance.’
Among the star students this summer was Diane Burton, 16, from Ipstones who passed 14 GCSEs with 2 A* grades, 5 As and 7 Bs. She also passed an A level Maths exam a year early. Opening her results she said: “I am very happy. I was a bit nervous coming into school this morning but now I’m looking forward to joining the Leek High Sixth Form to do Maths, English, Chemistry and Biology at A level and, eventually, go on to uni possibly to study Medicine.”
Proud mum Sandra Burton said: “I never thought she’d do this well. In fact, as parents, her dad and I were worried that she wasn’t working hard enough because she kept going out when we felt she should have been revising.”
Fellow Ipstonian Ruth Etches, also 16, passed 13 GCSEs with two top grades in sport among her results. She said: “I feel brilliant now I know all my hard work has been worth it and I’m going to carry on studying sport in the sixth form. Sport at Leek High is very good and I’d like to go on to do something sports related at university.”
Hattie Scales, 16, from Rudyard, was celebrating 12 passes: six A grades and six Bs and said:” I’m really pleased. I didn’t get stressed about sitting the exams but I didn’t know what to expect on results day.” Both Hattie and fellow high flier Xanthe Pickford-Avery, from Leek, achieved A grades in Maths and will be studying the subject in the Leek High Sixth Form.
Boys came out smiling too with Adam Thompson from Leek, Luke Brightmore from Swythamley and Daniel Meyrick from Ipstones all picking up a string of top grades.. Luke, who also passed his Grade 4 Drum exam last week, has ambitions to play in a rock band and will be studying Music among his sixth form choices. Daniel, who will be studying sciences and maths at A level, aims to qualify as a vet while Adam, who gained A*s in his Geography and Religious Studies, will be taking Geography, Biology, English Literature and Law in the sixth form and has yet to decide where they might take him.
John Spencer commented: “‘We are also pleased with our results lower down the school. Most of our year 9 students have an external qualification in foreign languages and almost all the year ten students have taken GCSE English.”
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