GCSE Results Day for Yorkshire Coast Students

Students receiving their results today are the first to return to sitting exams in person after the COVID pandemic.

Nationally GCSE grades awarded to students are down on last year but remain higher than pre-Covid levels.

The pass rate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell nearly 4 percentage points compared with last year.

The figure of 73-point-2 percent is still higher than 2019, when it was 67-point-3 percent.

The number of students given a 7 in England - equivalent to an A in Wales and Northern Ireland - is down 2-point-6 percentage points on 2021.

It's still 5-and-a-half percentage points higher than 2019.

Students receiving their results today are the first to return to sitting exams in person after the COVID pandemic, but many still would've spent months during the pandemic being home-schooled.

Lee Kilgour, Principal at Scarborough UTC said: 

“We are extremely proud of our students and it is great to see their hard work and dedication being rewarded through their GCSE and Technical subject grades.  Working closely with our industry partners throughout the college year alongside excellent teaching and learning has ensured our students achievement in Engineering is outstanding.

Despite the difficulties these students have endured as a result of COVID 19, Scarborough UTC’s unique approach has positively impacted our GCSE results ensuring the vast majority have been able to achieve good results.”

Scarborough University Technical College provides the opportunity for students aged from 13 to 19 to gain practical experience in engineering, computer science or health whilst studying for Technical Qualifications, GCSEs and A levels.

The college says that three of it's GCSE students have achieved particularly well.

• Adam (16 years old and from Scarborough) has achieved top grade 9s and Distinction * across all his subjects.
• Xavier (16 years old and from Scarborough) has also achieved top grade 8 and 9s and Distinction* across all his subjects.
• Ionee (16 years old and from Scarborough) achieved top Distinction grades in all three of her subjects for OCR Cambridge Technical in Engineering Design, Engineering Manufacture and Systems Control in Engineering.

Scarborough College says it is celebrating outstanding GCSE results today. While almost half (49%) all grades awarded were grades A* and A (9-7), 20% of all grades awarded were 9s. The overall pass rate was 96%.

Students, their parents and staff of the College came together this morning to find out GCSE results after the first formal examinations in two years. Having started their GCSEs during Covid, many of the students and parents can still remember how education was disturbed by
online learning, social distancing and spells of isolation.

There were plenty of wonderful individual results to celebrate such as Sienna Watts, Elliott Burnley, Ingrid Yeung, Lucia Peters and Jacob Taylor Burks. The College wanted to give special mentions to Harry Cammish with a phenomenal string of 11 Grades 9s and Tamara Jacobs who achieved straight 9s.

Sarah Grice, Assistant Head (Academic), added,

‘ Across the board, from the arts to the sciences, the languages to the humanities, and within the essential core of maths and English, there are some superb achievements. Behind the statistics there are many individual achievements to celebrate, at every level and within every subject. The value added scores provide further testament to the determination of students and the commitment of their teachers. ’

Head of Middle Tier, Phil Wilson, who will be taking on a new role within the College, said:

‘I am delighted with these GCSE results, especially as the students had to adapt to online learning during the Covid pandemic. I also want to praise the efforts of colleagues who worked hard to keep learning on track during challenging times. These fantastic results are a great way to bring to a close my 15 years as Head of Middle Tier; I thank all the students for helping me end on a definite high.’

Mr Guy Emmett, Headmaster at Scarborough College, added:

‘Looking back at how GCSEs started, the 2022 cohort, with the support of their teachers, have achieved something we hoped for but could not imagine. To surpass last year’s excellent results has left us all feeling incredibly proud. The students’ determination to succeed has never  wavered and they will be forever remembered, not only as students who achieved outstanding results, but also as students who have shown great character under the most trying of circumstances. I would like to congratulate all students for their tremendous achievements and I would like to thank our families for their support and belief in our school. Last but by no means least, I want to thank all my colleagues, who have supported and inspired our children.’

The Whitby Secondary Partnership, made up of Eskdale and Caedmon College also commended their students for the determination and positivity they demonstrated in preparing for their exams.

Executive Headteacher Jamie Henshaw said:

“It has not been an easy couple of years for students preparing for and taking their exams but all have shown real determination and positivity.

“Throughout the last year, students have attended additional sessions after school, completed work online and been taught at a quicker pace in order to include all the necessary content.

“The results for the two schools in the partnership are positive and we have seen an increase on our 2019 results.”

Scalby School say they are "immensely proud of our students and what they have achieved during their time with us."

Attainment results across the range of measure are well above historical national averages when examinations were last sat in 2019 and are in line with the schools results in 2019:

• Students gaining at least a Standard Pass (grade 4) in both English and Mathematics 71%    
• Students gaining at least a Strong Pass (grade 5) in both English and Mathematics 57%
• Students gaining the English Baccalaureate (grade 4 or above in English and mathematics, plus at least a GCSE grade 4 in Science, French and either Geography or History). 42%

Headteacher, Mr Robertson, said:

"This has been an extremely challenging year for all students and the significant disruption to education over the past two years has been felt most by those who have taken their final exams this summer. Scalby students have achieved incredibly well across the full range of GCSE and Vocational Level 2 qualifications and will continue to do so within their chosen new destinations.

Our staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure that students have been cared for and have continued to receive the best education possible in very difficult circumstances.

We would also like to thank the parents and carers of our students for the support and encouragement they have shown their children throughout this challenging year and this is a significant factor in the success we celebrated today.

On behalf of the trustees of Coast and Vale Learning Trust, our governors, our teachers and our support staff, we wish all of our Year 11 students all the best for the future."

North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, Stuart Carlton, said:

“Our young people have faced significant disruption to their learning as a result of the pandemic and are to be congratulated on their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“I wish them every success as they move on to the next stage of their education, employment or training.

“Any young person still unsure about their next steps is encouraged to talk through their options with their family, school and careers adviser.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education and skills said:

“Huge congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“I have been very impressed by their resilience, hard work and commitment to their studies throughout the ongoing challenges brought by pandemic, their achievements today are well deserved. Good luck in whatever you choose to do next and well done!”

Adult learners across North Yorkshire are celebrating after securing outstanding GCSE results.

This is the tenth year that North Yorkshire County Council’s Adult Learning and Skills Service has offered a comprehensive range of GCSE English and maths courses. The service helps adults improve their skills and gain qualifications to achieve their goals in employment.

This academic year saw a success rate of 100%.

In GCSE Maths 85% of learners achieved a grade 9 to 4 and results for GCSE English Language were outstanding with 100% achieving a grade 9 to 4.

Over 600 adult learners sign up for the free Maths and English courses with the service every year.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said:

“Congratulations to all young people and adult learners in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“Students, adult learners and teaching staff should be very proud of their achievements today. I would especially like to thank our schools, colleges and adult learning providers for their outstanding commitment and support to this cohort of students during what has been a very difficult time.”