Headteachers praise Hartlepool's Class of 2020 as they celebrate top GCSE results after virus upheaval

Headteachers praised the resilience of students in an unprecedented year after achieving a string of top GCSE results.
..
.

There were lots of smiles as students arrived at Hartlepool’s secondary schools on Thursday morning to open their results based on their teachers’ assessments.

Subjects are graded 1-9 with 9 being higher than the former A star, with anything 5 or above a strong pass.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

High Tunstall College of Science's top achievers were Anna Willis (nine grade 9s and one grade 8), Basil Al-Mashharawi (six grade 9s) and (four grade 8s), Mia Robertson (five grade 9s) and (four grade 8) and Robbie Brown (five grade 9s, three 8s and one 7).

Keanan Suggett was on cloud nineKeanan Suggett was on cloud nine
Keanan Suggett was on cloud nine

Headteacher Mark Tilling said: "The class of 2020 need to be congratulated for their fortitude and persistence in making sure that we had the evidence to use to prove the work that they had done and the grades they would have achieved if examinations had taken place.

“The global pandemic has affected us all differently and we believe that the decisions that have been taken recently regarding the GCSE grading has enabled all to be recognised for their efforts and allow students to move on in their careers.”

Despite the unprecedented situation, English Martyrs School said the dedication and work ethic of its students meant most of the hard work was already done.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Headteacher, Stephen Hammond said: "I could not be more proud of the way our Year 11 students have conducted themselves and coped in the last few months of their school lives.

Dyke House Academy's Max Appleby and Jessica Yong.Dyke House Academy's Max Appleby and Jessica Yong.
Dyke House Academy's Max Appleby and Jessica Yong.

"Despite everything, to see our students continuing to achieve highly is a real credit to them."

Keanan Suggett was on cloud nine as he opened his envelope to reveal nine grade 9s and one grade 8 making him the highest achieving boy at the school.

Best performing girls Julia Karpinska and Sophie Downes each got seven grade 9s and three grade 8s.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Congratulations also go to Lucy Greenwood who scooped six grade 9s, one grade D2, two grade 8s and one 7, while Hetty Porritt, Ellis McEneaney, Leon Willis, and Ben Bartlett got results with a majority of the top grades.

Basil Al-MashharawiBasil Al-Mashharawi
Basil Al-Mashharawi

At Northern Education Trust Dyke House Academy, Principal Adam Palmer said: "We are delighted with the attitudes shown by staff and students during difficult times, helping our Year 11s on their journey through life and on to the next stage of their educational careers.

“It has been an extremely challenging time for them all and I’m proud of how resilient they’ve been in dealing with the unknown."

Students Jessica Yong, Jasmin Mitchell and Max Appleby all achieved grade 9s in seven of their subjects.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jessica, who also got two 8s, said: “I was so nervous early on and I couldn’t sleep.

“It’s a big relief because I knew how much work I had put in to get the results.”

Jasmin, 16, one 8 followed by a clean sweep of 9s, said: “I honestly didn’t know what to expect.

"When I opened the envelope and looked at the results it was a surprise.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And Max, who recorded similar results, said: “I’m very happy. I wasn’t expecting to do quite as great.”

Read More
Read more: GCSE results grading U-turn by government

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here.

Thank you.

Related topics: