The rain didn’t dampen spirits on Thursday as Year 11 students picked up their GCSE results at King Edward VI College. 

Students were thrilled to see their hard work paying off as they collected the results for the GCSE and BTEC courses that pave the way for further study at Kennicott 6th form, college, or employment and training. 

With formal exams having been cancelled owing to the pandemic, students had to complete multiple assessments in all their subjects in the short window after returning to school in March this year. Both students and teachers worked under unrelenting pressure for eight weeks to prepare for, complete, mark, and moderate assessment after assessment. 

“Anyone who thinks young people had it ‘easy’ this year clearly hasn’t been near a school in the past 18 months,” said College Principal, Alan Salt. 

“We are so proud of each and every one of our Year 11 students. They worked through lockdowns and virtual learning, and like many of their contemporaries across the country, were disrupted by self-isolation and positive cases even when schools were physically open. The way they coped with an amazing amount of pressure when they returned to school in March was incredible - especially given the lack of clarity over what was going to replace their exams.” 

School staff also rose to the challenges the past year brought. 

“School staff have taken so much in their stride during the pandemic, and they’ve played an essential part in our students achieving the success we saw in their results today,” Alan Salt continued. 

“Teachers have shouldered a huge additional burden of marking and preparing assessments, and our support staff have played such a crucial role in making sure students were helped to cope with the impact of lockdown. All of this was made really difficult by a lack of clarity and slowness to confirm plans for what would replace exams, which caused real stress for students and staff.” 

The role of parents, carers, and families was also crucial in students’ success this year. 

“We really recognise how much families had to support our Y11s through hours and hours of online learning, and just in terms of our young people’s wellbeing,” said Alan Salt. “Without their help, our young people wouldn’t have been able to achieve so highly.” 

The College extends its congratulations to all Year 11 students and looks forward to seeing many of them back with us at Kennicott in September!