GCSE Results Reflect Range of Qualifications Available Through Diverse Extra-Curricular Programme

12 Aug 2021

West Buckland School students have excelled in this year’s GCSE exams, with over a quarter of pupils gaining straight 7-9 top grades.

West Buckland School students have, once again, excelled in this year’s GCSE exams, which this year saw a new and incomparable system of assessing learning in response to the disruptions brought about by the COVID pandemic.

As with the A-levels, the school’s approach to assessing pupils through exams in the summer met all the Ofqual requirements and produced robust, as well as impressive, results.

Over a quarter of pupils gained straight 7-9 top grades, with five pupils being awarded straight 9s – Flora Boyles, Katie Wilmot, Toby Watts, Isobel Van Santen and Amelia Day. All these students have been recognised not just for their consistent hard work and commitment but also for their day-to-day contribution to school life.

There were other notable achievements that are worth recognising: two of our international students, Susie Lei and Oscar Hung, gained a full set of 7-9 grades in a second language, which is an incredible achievement and they deserve full credit.

Mr Phillip Stapleton, Headmaster of West Buckland School, is delighted for all the pupils. “These wonderful and deserving results should be a cause for rejoicing and celebration. Well done to the pupils on their excellent efforts and to the staff for providing a seamless education despite the difficulties and providing the opportunity for Year 11 pupils to learn and shine this year.”

He also feels that the results are a reflection of significant changes that the school has put into place in the past two years.

“Increased time given in the timetable for English lessons; investment into our Personalised Learning Department, meaning it has doubled in size; more specialist staff being recruited and significant changes in the timetable have all come together this year to provide as much support as possible for our students to achieve the best exam results they can get.”

West Buckland introduced an extended extra-curricular programme as a result of the timetable changes and this year three Year 10 pupils took advantage of the opportunity to study for an early GCSE through this programme with two students gaining top grades in Dance and another securing an A in her Higher Project Qualification.

“We were always confident that our home learning was extremely effective and that our students were able to progress at the same rate as if they were in the classroom. This has been proven through this set of results and while the majority of pupils will be continuing their studies at West Buckland, a number will be leaving and we wish them well.”