Les Beaucamps matches its best
LES BEAUCAMPS head Martin Haimes admitted to having a few sleepless nights in the run-up to yesterday’s GCSE results, but he can rest better now after the school matched its best-ever results from last year.
53% of students achieved at least five grades 9-4 (or A*-C), including English and maths.
Mr Haimes would have liked to have beaten last year’s results, but he was happy that the level had been sustained.
‘Especially in English and maths they’ve done incredibly well. They’re 10% above the national average for a good pass which, considering the nature of the selective intake, to get that result is fantastic. The teachers obviously worked really hard to do that and so did the students.
‘Crucially nearly all of the students have got the results they needed to get on to what they wanted, so these results are important but it’s also about the progression onto the next level, there are only a handful who are having to rethink so we’re helping them with that.’
Darien van der Watt was one of the outstanding students, especially considering he transferred to the school from South Africa last year.
‘I started the two-year course a year after everyone else and the curriculum was completely different, most of the stuff in maths I’d never seen before. I’m glad I didn’t take separate sciences because that would have been a lot more stressful, but everything else was decent.’
Like many of Les Beaucamps students, Darien was praying his results would give him the gateway to the Grammar Sixth Form, and he more than achieved what he needed for that.
Antonia Barton opened her results in the school sports hall, and was shaking with happiness.
‘I’m so pleased that all the hard work paid off, I did a lot of revision and it was pretty stressful, but the teachers here are so helpful and supportive and they believe in you, I’m a bit nervous about going to the Grammar School but also excited.’
Emily Snell is heading to the College of Further Education after she got the results she needed.
‘I passed everything that I hoped I would pass, and I didn’t pass the ones I didn’t think I would pass, so I’m going to be studying childcare for two years which will hopefully lead me on to university so that I can become a primary school teacher.’
Many of the students spoken to said they were excited to be continuing their education, and about a dozen have secured apprenticeships.
