News

GCSE RESULTS – THURSDAY 22ND AUGUST 2019

GCSE results day and we are delighted, chuffed and satisfied. 166 Year eleven students were due to sit dozens of exams this summer. At that age they wanted to be playing computer games or sending countless Instagram messages to each other. But, instead, they sat in, swotting and sweating night after night, revising for their GCSE exams. A tremendously positive and hard-working bunch of young people put their trust in dedicated, skilled teachers and did really, really well.

Personally, I think it’s the best set of results and the happiest bunch of students that we’ve had in a decade. I’ve seen a lot of very relieved and happy parents this morning and welcomed loads of students in to the Chauncy Sixth Form.

Parents who patiently supported their children in their studies can be proud that they contributed to their kids’ success. 
Unfortunately, a very small number of children didn’t study or spend time revising and these young people have not done well. I guess that’s an example of meritocracy at work.
Chauncy students’ results are very good. Some have done astonishingly well and some are disappointed..

Students had to sit more exams than ever before – many more than in the poorly remembered days of O Levels. In most subjects there was no coursework allowed this year. But still, the students have excelled and in this area of good schools our students have performed better than others nationally. There is a link for most between attitude to work and results.

This year’s results are particularly impressive because the new GCSEs, with broader subject content and more written exams, have been deliberately designed to be tougher. Teenagers had to sit up to 25 written exams and there were few past papers on which to practise. Student nervousness and anxiety was matched by their teachers who have also performed brilliantly. The government spokesman for education, Nick Gibb, did his whitewash this morning and his presentations and answers would have failed in GCSE English and Statistics. The headteachers union suggested that more, speed writing, all-you-can-remember exams are limited in their scope, assess only a few skills and have contributed to a rise in mental health problems. Gibbs’ contribution to this debate: headteachers are wrong. His response to the NEU – the main teachers union – and their concerns over the quality of assessment and the narrow curriculum: teachers are wrong. There are no exams to be an education minister.

Exam success is not left to chance. Even though the exam syllabuses may be changed every year all our teachers prepare the candidates to an extent not known to people who went to school 10 years ago. Holiday, evening and even weekend revision classes are standard fare. Warm ups before each exam, students given breakfast and a bottle of water, air conditioned rooms and professional invigilators make sure the kids get the best chance of showing what they have learned.
And they have excelled.

Families should know that Chauncy offers a wide range of courses and also will provide advice on college courses. No–one needs to be without a place in school or college if they want to continue their studies. we advise families to contact us as soon as possible.

We want to pass on our best wishes to the dozens of teenagers now embarking on modern apprenticeships and to those who will be continuing their studies at HRC and other colleges. I hope you can look back on your time at Chauncy with some affection and satisfaction.

Dennis O’Sullivan (Headteacher)