Pride as Lancaster and Morecambe pupils celebrate GCSE results

GCSE passes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen for a second year running – with 68.2% of all grades marked at grades 4/C and above.

It brings results close to where they were in 2019 - the last year that exams were sat before Covid - when it was 67.3%.

Grades spiked in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers’ assessments.

Ripley St Thomas CE Academy head Ed Goddard said: “We are incredibly proud of this cohort of Year 11 pupils who have achieved very well at GCSE this year.

"They approached their exams with great determination after a disrupted couple of years and their hard work has paid off.

"Many have faced personal challenges and we are particularly proud of how well they have done and the resilience they have shown.

"I would also like to thank our staff at Ripley and our parents for guiding and supporting our young people so well.

"We send our congratulations to all our Year 11s and we wish them every success in their next steps.”

Particular mention at Ripley goes to to:

Anna Feaks 7x 9s, 2x 8s, 1x 7

Thomas Cottam 6x 9s, 3 x8s, 1x 7s

Dawid Nieckarz 6x 9s, 2x 8s, 2x 7s

Elizabeth Fearnley and Virtue Vincent-Hejirika 3x 9s, 6x 8s

Ciaran Mason 3x 9s, 4 x8s, 1 x 7

Nelly Hajek 2x 9s, 4 x8s, 3 x 7s

Thomas Hodges 2x 9s, 5x 8s, 1x 7s

Scott Freeman 1x 9, 3x 8s, 6x 7s

Jake Howden 5x 8s, 4x 7s

Mason Livesey 2x 9s, 3x 8s, 3x 7s

Nicole Nowaczyk 1x 9, 3x 8s, 5x 7s

Joshua Simpson 3x 9s, 2x 8s, 3x 7s

Josephine McCarten Bevington 2x 9s, 3x 8s, 2x 7s

Isabel Pattinson 2x 9s, 7x 7s

Annabel Johnson 5x 8s, 4x 7s

Bertie Ellison 4x 8s, 5x 7s

Pupils from Lancaster Royal Grammar School are celebrating excellent results in their GCSE examinations today.

More than half of all pupils gained at least seven grades 7, 8 and 9 in their GCSEs (the equivalent of former A and A* grades).

39% of results across all subjects were awarded the very top 8 and 9 grades. Twenty-five students are celebrating seven or more GCSEs at grade 9, including five students who achieved 10 or 11 GCSEs at grade 9. Three boys gained eleven grade 9s and eleven boys gained nine or more grade 9s.

Headmaster Dr Chris Pyle said: “It is fantastic to see the energy and hard work of all our pupils recognised in their excellent grades. Congratulations to our students on an excellent set of GCSE results, which will be a springboard to their further success at A-level and beyond.

“We are proud of every single one of our pupils. Congratulations both to the highest achievers and to all who have worked hard for such well-deserved results.

“It is a privilege to work with such motivated students. I am very grateful to all our teachers as well as support staff at Lancaster Royal Grammar School who have helped our pupils towards these achievements.”

Many congratulations to Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School Year 11 students, who have achieved an incredible set of GCSE results.

Despite the challenges over the last few years the year group, who impressed their teachers throughout their time in school, can feel incredibly pleased with all they have achieved.

94% of students achieved a ‘strong pass’ in GCSE English and Maths, while 97% of students achieved a ‘standard pass’ in GCSE English and Maths.

There was also some exceptional performance with five students gaining nine or more GCSEs at the highest Grade 9.

“It has been a real pleasure to work with this group of students throughout Key Stage 4,” said assistant head David Green. “Their commitment to their studies has produced results that the students can be immensely proud of.

"Well done Year 11 and good luck with the next stage of your educational journey.”

Head Chris Beard said: “Well done to our Year 11 students as they celebrate their success today. It is no secret that young people have been through a difficult few years and with harsher grade boundaries this summer compared to last year.

"Therefore, the excellent results this year are a testament to their hard work, dedication and resilience. We look forward to welcoming many of them back to the Sixth Form at LGGS in September.

“Thank you to LGGS staff for their hard work and commitment, and to all the LGGS parents for their unfailing support.”

Our Lady’s Catholic College has reported some outstanding achievements by its students in their GCSE and other level 2 qualifications this summer.

Head Helen Seddon said: “Despite the expected downturn in results from 2022 we have seen our results increase in many areas. We are pleased to continue our upward journey following the impact of the pandemic on this cohort who spent significant periods of their Year 8 and 9 out of school.

“As well as all our students succeeding in their exams, we are particularly proud of the following students who have done exceptionally well in gaining an excellent set of grades: Lois Green, Tallula Brimecombe, Ashleigh Grattan, Jayden Herbert, Emily Mount, Maciej Pochlaniak, Bea Menor, Millie Swales, Ellie Swales, Tyler Taggart and Ellie Hobson.

“We are so proud of all the work and achievements of our students particularly after missing much of their key stage 3 through Covid.

"Our teachers have worked relentlessly with the students and with the support of their families they have gained success this year. Our year 11 students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing many of them again in September as they re-join us for sixth form at Our Lady’s.

"We wish all our students the best of luck for a happy and successful future.”

Pupils collecting their GCSE results at Dallam School in Milnthorpe are being praised for their many achievements, including adapting to studying through years of disruption.

169 pupils sat their GCSEs this summer and they’ve done so well to get to this point, said headteacher Steven Henneberry.

“Their last normal experience of a school year was their first year in secondary school,” he said. “They’ve been tested with lock-downs, remote learning and covid restrictions, plus the impact of the pandemic in general.

"It was so lovely that many mums, dads, grandparents and siblings came with them to collect their results. And that many pupils then headed over to the sixth form centre for coffee, croissants and enrolment.

“There were also six of our boarders opening their results around the world. We recognise their amazing achievements of studying in a second language alongside living away from home, developing independence and resilience.”

Among those with a strong set of academic results is Iona Finney who got a brace of 9s and an 8.

Evie O’Hara and Alice Grieves set high standards for themselves and worked really hard. Their results mean they’re returning for sixth form, and say they are looking forward to a more independent approach to learning.

Alice says she will continue with drama, alongside psychology and biology, which she hopes will pave the way for a possible carer in healthcare, including midwifery.

Evie will study geography, biology and psychology and has her sights set on studying at university in Edinburgh.

William Gosling achieved 6s and 8s with high scores in maths, physics, and BTECs in enterprise and creative media production.

Angus Aldersen-Beeching had his mum and sister which him when he got his results and celebrated seven strong passes, whilst Jake Warburton and Sam Wilson opened their results with friends and Sarah Harris’s results meant that she was heading for sixth form enrolment with her mum Claire.

Mr Henneberry said: “We are incredibly proud of our students. Their impressive results reflect individuals’ excellent commitment and determination to do well. With the support of their parents, carers and our staff they’ve also developed greater resilience to excel in their studies.

"We look forward to welcoming many of them back into Sixth Form and wish all our pupils every success and happiness as they begin the next stage in their education, training or employment.

“We’re also here helping those who need to rethink their options. Either from doing better than expected or being disappointed by their results.”

Carnforth High School headteacher Tim Iddon said: "We are extremely proud of the results achieved by Year 11 at Carnforth High School this summer. Our students have undertaken a wide range of academic, creative and vocational subjects.

"Particularly noteworthy are the achievements of pupils in Art, GCSE PE and Religious Studies. The vocational subjects at Carnforth have continued to perform well.

“A number of pupils achieved fantastic results, with up to 10 GCSEs obtained, and a strong range of GCSEs collected across our cohort. This reflects the ambition and commitment of our pupils. We are delighted that our highest attaining pupil achieved an amazing three GCSE grade 9s, five GCSE grade 8s and a GCSE grade 6, alongside a Level 2 Distinction grade.

“Results which are consistently strong would not be possible without the hard work of the staff and students at Carnforth High School, along with the support and encouragement of parents. We would like to thank everyone who has been part of our continued success.”

Celebrations are under way at Bay Leadership Academy after pupils received their GCSE results.

This year’s exceptional results follow the school securing its best-ever Ofsted rating in November 2022. It was the first time in the school’s history - since opening its doors in 1937 – that the school has been awarded a ‘Good’ judgement.

School staff and parents have been celebrating with pupils at the school as they progress onto the next stage of their education or training.

The school’s star performers include twins Millie and Leah Brayshaw as well as Samantha Carter, who all achieved the grades they needed to pursue their chosen next steps.

Millie worked with unmatched tenacity over her years at Bay Leadership Academy and gained a fantastic set of results, including a grade 7 in maths, grade 7,7 in science and a grade 9 in photography.

Millie, whose next step will see her study A-levels at Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, said: “I am really thankful to all my teachers for all the support. I enjoyed my time at Bay and I am grateful for all the experiences I have had. Thank you to all the teachers!”

There were double celebrations for the Brayshaw family as Millie’s twin sister Leah also achieved exceptional results. Leah’s genuine love for English has been the cornerstone for all of her hard work and dedication seeing her consistently striving to be her best.

She achieved a grade 9 in fine art, grades 9,8 in science, grade 8 in English literature and grade 7s in English language and maths.

Leah is now preparing to study A-levels at Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School to continue her creative pursuits.

She said: “I can’t put into words how grateful I am for all the support the teachers have given me. They were and always will be my moral support. I am so thankful for all the kindness and support they have given me.”

Samantha Carter has overcome a number of challenges during her education to achieve an outstanding set of GCSE grades.

Her dedication to her studies – often independently carrying out additional research and reading – has helped the determined pupil to achieve a grade 9 in photography and grade 8s in English literature, maths and double science.

She said: “If in Year 7 you had told me that I would have been opening my envelope to receive these results I wouldn’t have believed you! As a person with multiple learning difficulties this school has made this possible and for that I would like to thank everyone at Bay.”

Principal Lee Waring said: “Many congratulations to our pupils on their outstanding results. They have worked extremely hard, and I hope they are proud of their achievements as they go on to the next chapter of their lives.”

Cantral Lancaster High School executive head John Cowper said: “We are really proud of the achievements of our Year 11 pupils. We congratulate them all for working hard over the past five years and overcoming the many barriers they have faced, as others have, in this challenging time within education.

"We are really pleased to see them secure and pursue further education opportunities as well as undertaking apprenticeships and employment – we look forward to seeing the positive contributions they will make to the local and wider community.

“We are grateful to all staff for their commitment and support of our pupils during their time with us and to all our families who we have worked closely with, in partnership, to prepare their children for the next steps of their future to which we wish them all well.”

A spokesman for Morecambe Bay Academy said: “We are exceptionally proud of our Year 11 students. The students have shown great resilience throughout their secondary education, against a very difficult national context, and we are proud to celebrate their next steps with our whole school community.

“We will be welcoming a strong group of students into the Sixth Form at Morecambe Bay Academy to study post 16 courses and we share their high aspirations for further university study, apprenticeships, or higher-level employment.

“We are also very proud of our Year 11 students who are moving on to college, apprenticeships, or employment to pursue more vocational routes. They have worked closely with our excellent careers advisor, Mrs Louth, and leave MBA ready for the world of work.

“Overall, our students have shown strength of character and perseverance through challenging times, and we would like to celebrate all that they have achieved. We would also like to thank families for their support throughout the past 5 years and to staff who have worked tirelessly to support the year group. We wish them all well.”

County Coun Jayne Rear, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for education and skills, said: "Congratulations to all of Lancashire's GCSE students, who should be very proud of their achievements after many years of hard work and weeks of revision not to mention the long wait for results to be published.

"We are very proud of all that they have achieved, especially against the extra pressures that they have endured as a result of the pandemic and wish them every success as they move to the next stage in their education.

"Many will be delighted with their results but for those who perhaps did not gain the grades they hoped for, our fantastic advisors at Talkzone are available to talk about anything from results, to feeling low, relationships, finding work or training.

"I'd like to remind pupils that there are always lots of possibilities and other options to consider, it just might be that you want to take a different path to the one you originally planned.

"A huge 'thank you' to our hardworking school staff, who always go above and beyond for the pupils in their care."

* We will be featuring comments here from all our local schools so keep checking back as they will be added as we get them. We also have a separate gallery of photos from the day at https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/gcse-results-day-2023-pictures-as-students-in-lancaster-and-morecambe-celebrate-their-grades-4267078