Senior School’s students are today celebrating excellent GCSE results, defying the national move towards lower grades following the Covid pandemic. Across all areas of the curriculum, we have seen some outstanding results with particular success being seen in Science and Mathematics. Across the school, more than a third of all grades were awarded 9-7, with four out of five grades classified as ‘good’ passes. While across the country the story has been one of grade deflation, Claremont has maintained its already strong performance from 2022 with an overall pass rate consistent with last year. As a school, we continue to punch well above our weight, building a formidable reputation for student achievement regardless of their interests or starting point. Two thirds of students achieved a 7 or above in at least one subject with 25% of all students achieving the top grade of a 9 in at least one subject.
Mr Dickie commented: “Since we opened in 2011 we have sought to demonstrate that success at school can be achieved in a range of different ways. We are not defined by grades alone but we aim, above all else, to provide an atmosphere and environment where these students can become the best version of themselves. We are deeply proud of those students who achieved academically outstanding results this week and look forward to supporting them as they look towards applying to the top universities in the future.
But we have equal pride in those students who have achieved passes in subjects that they find really, really tough. The lessons they have learnt in achieving these successes will endure long after the dust has settled on these public exams. They have shown themselves what can be done if you have a positive attitude and a willingness to put in the hard yards. They are lessons that they will take into every part of their lives beyond the limits of school.”
Some of the outstanding performers included Alicja K who achieved a grade average of 8.1 while achieving 9s in English, History and Chemistry. Reuben D went even further and achieved seven 9s across the three Sciences, Maths, Further Maths and both Spanish & French. Elsewhere, Mollie C and Eddie CT both showed the way by achieving in a range of different disciplines. As well as being an outstanding football player Mollie also showed off her academic skills by achieving 8s and 9s in both the Sciences and Religious Studies. Budding astronaut Eddie, who earlier this year achieved a gold medal in the Physics Olympiad, cleaned up with 9s in each of the Sciences while also getting very strong results in Drama and Music. Tristan W and Charlotte W also performed very strongly across all of their subjects with Charlotte managing to combine academic success with playing Hockey for England!
One of the key characteristics of this year’s results at the school was the very strong performance in Science and Maths. In Chemistry the average grade was an 8 while Physics and Biology were close behind. Claremont is building a particularly strong reputation in the Sciences and these results closely follow the excellent A Level Science results from last week. Maths, often an achilles heel for some students, also saw excellent performances across the ability ranges. More than 95% of students achieved a 4 grade or better, with 10% achieving 9s.
The Creative subjects were once again well represented with Design Technology emerging with a grade average of more than 7. Similar performances by the MFL and Drama departments have shown off both the diversity of the curriculum at Claremont and the range of successes achieved by the school in this cycle.
“Every student is different, with different interests, strengths and weaknesses. Collectively, they tell a different story each year. We are thrilled that this group of students has found its voice in so many different areas of school life, becoming their best and starting to really understand what they might be capable of as they look ahead to Sixth Form.”
Ed Dickie, Head of Senior School