STUDENTS from schools across Ascot, Sunningdale and Sunninghill were celebrating the culmination of three years of hard work as they picked up their GCSE results on Thursday.

Teenagers from the area’s secondary schools celebrated some of their school’s best ever results, despite a new rigorous system which focused more on exams rather than coursework

Charters School

Charters School students and staff achieved a ‘marvellous’ set of GCSE results this year with a total of 243 students completing their exams.

Overall, 82% achieved five or more standard passes at grade 9 to 4 including English and Mathematics. Forty-one per cent of all entries were awarded at grade level 7 or above, the equivalent of an old GCSE A and above.

Co-Headteachers Martyn Parker and Richard Pilgrim said: “We are delighted with these results which are a step-up from the very good outcomes in 2017. Students across the ability range have demonstrated great success.

“Our initial analysis indicates that across all subjects, on average, our students have achieved at least half a grade better than students of similar academic ability nationally.

“We are very proud of them and the support given by our teaching and associate staff at a time when the examinations are more demanding.”

Heathfield School

It was smiles all round at Heathfield School in Ascot with all girls exceeding their predicted aspirational targets.

Every student achieved A* to C grades in Maths and English Language, and 100 per cent achieved A* to C grades in business, classical civilisation, French, history and Spanish.

Every student who sat the music exam secured 9 or 8, four in five students taking art received 9 to 7, and half of all girls who took Drama scored 9 to 7.

Hermione Hunt-Davis triumphed with two A*s in French and history, five 9s in English Language, English Literature, maths, Latin and religious studies, three 8s in chemistry, biology and Spanish and one 7 in physics.

Sophia Adderley, next year’s Head Girl, also excelled with four 9s in maths, English Literature, geography and Art, two 8s in English Language and French, and two 7s in chemistry and religious studies.

Headmistress Marina Gardiner Legge said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with this year’s GCSE results and would like to congratulate each and every girl on their terrific achievements.

“The results are a glowing testimony to the breadth and diversity of education we provide here at Heathfield – valuing in equal measure academic achievements and success in sport, music, drama and the arts.

“It is our job to enable every girl to be the very best she can be, in a happy and supportive environment. Developing character traits like persistence, confidence and the desire to achieve are top of our agenda and as we all know happy, confident girls succeed.”

Marist School

The Marist School received excellent results in the light of the newly reformed GCSEs with 54 per cent gaining 9 to 7 grades and 99 per cent of girls achieving A* to C grades.

Head teacher Karl McCloskey said: “Our girls have once again excelled and improved on our results from last year despite the national outlook, which predicted lower levels of attainment in the wake of the higher levels of rigour and challenge.

“We had strong faith in the hard work and motivation of our girls and had no doubt about their resilience, aptitude and ability to succeed in what was anticipated to be a tougher year.

“With 60 per cent of the further maths GCSE cohort achieving A* to A grades and 45 per cent achieving 9 to 7 in the Maths GCSE, the notion that high attainment in maths is the reserve of boys is strongly dispelled by the mathematical achievement of our Marist girls.

“Further highlights of the Marist academic year include 15 per cent of students achieving all grades 9 to 7 and 100 per cent achieving five 9 to 4 grade GCSEs. In addition, the English department facilitated outstanding results with 91 per cent of students receiving 9 to 6 grades across English Language and Literature.

“Another subject of notable success is religious studies where three-quarters of the year group secured 9 to 7 grades, with 25 per cent awarded a grade 9.”

LVS Ascot

Nearly every student at LVS Ascot scooped an A* to C grade in five subjects including English and maths.

LVS Ascot students had a brilliant year with their a booming 99 per cent achieving five A* to C grades in the key subjects.

Just over nine per cent of all papers were graded at an A* or equivalent, while 15 per cent received an A grade or equivalent.

The pass rate for English language was 99 per cent, with maths coming in at 94per cent.

Principal Christine Cunniffe said: “We are delighted with the GCSE results this year, being the first year of the new grading system and linear exams. With the number of A* or equivalent grades rising and pass rates for English (99 per cent) and maths (94 per cent) also up, it is a strong set of results. We look forward to those students continuing their success with us at A-level in our new sixth form centre which only opened last September”.

St George’s School

Following impressive A level results last week, there was more pleasing news for St George’s School as nerves turned to excitement when Fifth Year students opened their GCSE results.

An outstanding 40 per cent of all GCSE examinations at the all-girls independent school were graded 9, 8 or A*, equivalent to A* in the old grading, and 61 per cent of GCSEs were graded 9, 8, 7, A* or A.

Lizzie Shegurova from Ascot was one of the school’s high achievers with 11 GCSEs graded 9, 8 or A*., and was among five girls who received a number of academic prizes and cups including the Headmistress’s Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement at the schools’s prize giving in July.

Many subject areas including English, science, religious studies and modern foreign languages achieved very impressive results, with 35 per cent of the English language papers achieving a grade 9, and 88 per cent receiving grades 9, 8, or 7.

Headmistress Liz Hewer said: “In the context of all that the girls at St George’s are involved in across the curricular and co-curricular programme, I am particularly impressed by these outstanding GCSE results; our best ever.

“There has been a lot of external pressure on this year’s Year 11s with the majority of their GCSEs being taken for the first time in new rigorous linear style courses and with a new grading system. This summer a quarter of the cohort at St George’s have gained an impressive seven 9/8/A* grades or more. I am delighted for, and very proud of, this accomplished year group whose hard work has paid off.

“We look forward to watching them flourish in all areas of school life as they progress on to the next chapter of their education in the St George’s Sixth Form. These confident and capable girls have much to look forward to!”