The head teacher of Varndean has praised pupils receiving their GCSE results after “early signs” indicated “that these results will set records and be the school’s best ever”.
Year 11 pupils sat public exams after two years when grades were awarded by schools themselves because of the restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
Varndean head Shelley Baker said: “What is really pleasing is that all that hard work has paid off.
“This is an incredible group of young people who have approached the return to school after the pandemic with a superb attitude and worked as hard as they could not only individually but collectively.
“This is the story behind these great results. I am proud of each and every one of them and know that they will go on to the next stage in their lives with confidence.”
The school said: “Varndean students are celebrating a fantastic set of exam results. The school was full of smiles, laughter and tears of joy as students opened the envelopes to see all that they had achieved.
“Such good results don’t happen in isolation and we would like to thank the families who have supported our work at school so positively over the last five years.
“Their support, patience and encouragement for their children will have made a significant difference to their achievements.
“We would also like to recognise the skill, dedication and professionalism of the teachers at Varndean.
“These results show how well the students have been taught and how their thoughtful and individualised approach has paid off.”
The school said that one in five students achieved eight or more GCSEs at grade 8 or higher while 26 students were awarded eight or more GCSEs at grade 9 – the top grade.
Forty per cent of all grades were at grade 7 or above – the equivalent of a good grade C or better under the previous grading system.
The school shared a table of highlights.
| Grade 4 or higher in English and Maths | 86 per cent |
| Grade 5 or higher in English and Maths | 71 per cent |
| Grades at grade 7 or higher | 39 per cent |
| Attainment 8 | 57.56 (indicates the average grade for all subjects is 5.8) |
| Grade 5 or higher in maths | 78 per cent |
| Grade 4 or higher in maths | 88 per cent |
| Grade 5 or higher in English | 78 per cent |
| Grade 4 or higher in English | 89 per cent |
| Number of grade 9s achieved | 270 |
| Students achieving eight or more GCSEs at grade 8 or higher | 20 per cent |
| Number of students achieving eight or more GCSEs at grade 9 | 26 |
