Pride across Sheffield as students get their GCSE results

Thousands of students in the city saw their summer exams cancelled earlier this year due to the coronavirus, leaving their grades in the hands of a controversial algorithm which saw nearly 40 per cent of A-Levels downgraded last week.

But, following mounting pressure, the government made a humiliating U-turn on Monday and instead announced that GCSE grades would automatically be awarded to students based on recommendations from their schools – with A-Levels to be changed in due course.

This year, GCSE results surged to a record high with more than one in four GCSE entries in England scoring one of the three top grades, up from just over a fifth last summer, according figures from exams regulator Ofqual.

At Firth Park Academy, over half of pupils secured a grade 4 or above in English and maths, while 37 per cent achieved grade 5 or higher in the same all-important subjects.

Headteacher Dean Jones said he was “delighted” for the students and “so proud of the incredible effort they have put in during their time at Firth Park.”

King Edward VII Secondary School congratulated its Year 11 pupils for their “excellent results”. It said: “You deserve this success because of your hard work, commitment and resilience this year. We are incredibly proud of you.”

There is cause for celebration at High Storrs School where over 81 per cent of pupils achieved a pass – grade 4 or higher – in both English and maths, while nearly half of all students gained at least three of the highest grades – grade 7 or above.

King Ecgbert School said it had a ‘stellar’ year for results after it was able to give very accurate data to exam boards, resulting in a continuation of the upward trend of results seen in recent years.

Nick Parker, headteacher of Handsworth Grange Community Sports College, also congratulated his Year 11 pupils for ‘another wonderful set’ of GCSE results.

Elsewhere, at Sheffield Girls’ School, over 99 per cent of pupils achieved grades 9 -4, equivalent to A*-C.

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