Hard work pays off for Daventry GCSE students

Schools in the district have worked hard to support pupils during the coronavirus pandemic.

Students at Guilsborough Academy are celebrating after their 'amazing' resilience helped them secure an impressive set of GCSE results.

More than 80 per cent of students gained a pass in English and Maths while almost one in four attained a grade 7 or higher.

Results in science continue to be extremely strong, a subject in which Guilsborough Academy is traditionally within the top 10 per cent of outcomes nationally.

Daventry student Amelie Lathe made the grade and is looking forward to studying geography, English literature and psychology at Lawrence Sheriff.

She said: "I was so happy with my results and I felt like all my hard work that I put in really paid off eventually. I found it tricky at times with the online learning, but the teachers were amazing and made sure that each of our questions were answered and despite not being in the classroom with them- we made do with the online learning. I felt that in the first lockdown, schools were unsure about how they could keep up with their teachings while we were at home and ensure that every student was completing the work.

"Despite this, I continued to complete the work set as I didn’t want to miss out on the crucial months that we were in lockdown for. However, as time progressed and we entered the second lockdown- schools were more prepared with alternate learning programs, I found this method a lot more useful as I was more engaged in the learning and it felt like I was not missing any learning despite being at home and looking at my screen instead of the board in a classroom. Teachers were able to carry out their usual lessons without the distractions, so they were able to teach us to great depths."

The principal of Northampton College has praised the 'incredible adaptability' of students during the coronavirus pandemic, with the GCSE results highlighting the impact of their continued hard work and resilience.

The results revealed that 99.9 per cent of students who sat an English Language assessment received a pass grade, while 99.7 per cent of those sitting a maths assessment also passed.

Principal Pat Brennan-Barrett said: “We are thrilled to see so many people now able to progress and move on in their lives having achieved the grades they need at GCSE during what has been a particularly challenging year.

Libby Robbins, who attends Northampton High School and lives in Daventry, passed with flying colours and is going on to do her A-Levels.