PUPILS across Eastbourne and the surrounding area are celebrating their achievements after receiving their GCSE results today.
Schools have praised the resilience, determination and hard work shown by Year 11 pupils, many of whom experienced significant disruption to their education during the Covid pandemic.
At Willingdon Community School, Executive Headteacher Emily May said the school’s Year 11 cohort had achieved ‘superb outcomes’ after demonstrating an exceptional attitude towards their studies.
The school reported particularly strong results in English, mathematics, drama and music.
Among those achieving the highest grades were Matthew Bolland, Roshan Kazi, Reuben Wakefield, Ibrahim Ali, Eva Owen, Scarlett Pitt, Poppy Barnes, Georgia Webb, Ava Jackson and Liam O’Leary.
The school also praised Sophie Hancock, Isabella Fuller, Fraser Matthews, Dylan Briggs, Oliver Greenhill, Jorge Nones, Zion McDonald-Honey, Elliot Pearce and Tilly Gosling for making particularly impressive progress during their time at Willingdon.
Mrs May said: “Our Year 11 cohort has shown significant resilience and an exceptional attitude to learning through their preparation and completion of GCSE exams, and this is reflected in their superb outcomes.
“Students have made exemplary progress, and this is particularly impressive given that our students had no SATs exams in Year 6 and limited transition from primary to secondary school caused by the Covid pandemic.
“We are very proud of students’ ambition and respect for their learning and future, and we are so grateful for the support from our whole community in enabling our students to achieve personal excellence.”
Eastbourne College also reported another improvement in its GCSE results, with more than a third of all grades awarded at grades 8 or 9.
The proportion of grade 9s increased to 19 per cent of all grades awarded – the college’s strongest performance at the highest level since the introduction of the 9-to-1 grading system, excluding the years affected by Covid.
Grade 7, equivalent to an A under the previous grading system, was the most commonly awarded grade at the college, closely followed by grade 9, the highest grade available.
Every pupil who sat a GCSE early while in Year 9 or Year 10 achieved a grade 9.
Headmaster Tom Lawson said the results reflected both high achievement among the strongest-performing pupils and significant progress across the wider year group.
He said: “I am immensely proud that our GCSE results improved once again. As well as some stellar achievement at the top end, there was a fantastic uplift between mocks and the summer exams in the middle and lower third, demonstrating that our dedicated support alongside the hard work of all our pupils can yield tremendous progress.
“The core is very strong, with a 99 per cent average pass rate in compulsory subjects.”
Mr Lawson said pupils had also succeeded across the college’s broad selection of optional subjects.
He added: “Among the many option subjects offered at the college, it is heartening that we are bucking the trend with uptake and success in now-niche subjects such as German and Classical Greek, while at the same time seeing pupils thrive in art, drama, music and textiles.
“I congratulate the young people for their determination as well as the teachers for their dedication.”
Bede’s School, near Hailsham, celebrated what it described as its best-ever GCSE results, with 47 per cent of grades awarded at levels 9 to 7 or their equivalent.
Immy Oscroft led the cohort with 12 grade 9s while also competing for the school’s hockey team and participating in Model United Nations.
Eloise Morris achieved seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and two grade 7s alongside playing first-team hockey. Takondwa Simfukwe secured seven grade 9s and three grade 8s while maintaining a demanding training programme with the Legat Dance Academy.
Pasha Hrytskiv, who joined Bede’s from Ukraine in Year 8, achieved five top-level grades while competing internationally in tennis.
Other high-performing pupils included Missy Martin-Jenkins, who received ten grade 9s and one grade 8, and Elijah Morris, who achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 8s.
Joseph Berry, a former head pupil at Bede’s Prep, celebrated eight grade 9s, three grade 8s and a grade 6.
There were also celebrations at Cavendish School in Eastbourne as its Year 11 pupils collected their results.
A school spokesperson said: “A huge congratulations to all of our Year 11 pupils for their fantastic GCSE results. They can be very proud of what they have achieved.
“Good luck in your next steps.”
