A level and GCSE Results Days: Smiles of success abound

This is the first time, owing to Covid, that students have sat public examinations since 2019.  Students and staff feared the worst: would Lockdown and the lack of examination practice have adversely affected students' performance?  Or, on a more positive note, would our students have demonstrated their resilience, diligence and natural intelligence to achieve the results of which they are genuinely worthy?  The answer to this latter question, on both GCSE and A Level results days, was a resounding "YES!"

Previously, Urmston Grammar's best external GCSE results had come in 2018 when 67% of our students' grades were 7s, 8s or 9s.  This year's cohort managed to exceed that, with a wonderful 75% of grades achieved being 7s, 8s or 9s!  For anyone not fully familiar with current gradings, these 7s, 8s and 9s would have been As or A*s just a few years back.  Urmston Grammar's 75% compares to a national average of 26%.  No surprise then that there were smiles aplenty on the faces of last year's Year 11s (not to mention those of their teachers and parents), as they collected their results in late August!

And our A level students, a week earlier, had equal cause to celebrate.  38% of our A level results were As and A*s, exceeding the school's previous best haul of As and A*s from external exams, which came in 2017, where students achieved 34.4%.  There is a much greater range of academic ability represented at GCSE level.  Only the most able students study for A level, but our students, with 38% of grades at A or A*, still managed to exceed the national average of 36%. 

On a more individual note, 6 of our GCSE students scored Grade 9s across the board - a truly remarkable achievement!  2 of our A level students have gained entry to Cambridge University and one to Oxford.  Another student gained an academic and sports scholarship to University of Massachusetts, USA

A beaming Mrs Wall (Headteacher) has this to say: "Congratulations to our amazing Year 11 and Year 13 students - fantastic GCSE and A level results! A testimony to their hard work and the support they have had from staff and parents. We are so proud of all of them."