Smiles in schools for the first non-selective GCSEs
A refugee from Ukraine was among young islanders celebrating their GCSE results in the Bailiwick yesterday.
More than 650 students got their GCSE results, with 69.8% of them graded 4 and above.
This was higher than England, which saw 67.4%.
However, this was down on last year, when 76.4% results were grade 4 or above, while States-maintained school results for this year saw 60.2% reach the grade 4 threshold, compared to 66.4% last year for States schools.
Secondary School Partnership executive principal Liz Coffey said it was pleased with the results in English.
While the Bailiwick-wide grade 4 and above for English fell slightly, the States school percentage increased from 67% to 68.4%.
‘In that area our States-maintained schools and the overall Bailiwick results are both well above England,’ she said.
‘Our focus remains on making improvements across all curriculum areas, such as maths, where we are continuing to develop our approaches to ensure good outcomes.’
The States schools’ maths results for those achieving grade 4 or above fell from 57.8% last year to 51.4% – well below the Bailiwick wide figure of 62.8% and the 59.6% in England.
This was the first non-selective year for the former Grammar School – now known as Les Varendes High School. And the percentage of those getting grade 4 or above in both English and maths fell from 98.7% last year to 48.3%.
But the pass rates at the other three high schools all rose slightly, to 46% or above.
Les Varendes principal Verona Tomlin said because it was no longer a grammar school, it could not be compared to a selected cohort.
‘Obviously with a selected cohort, you’re going to be expecting those higher results,’ she said.
‘In terms of comparisons, that will comes later, when I sit down with the heads of departments and look at the data. But today is a day to celebrate. These students have worked really, really hard. They have been absolutely phenomenal.’
Among the Les Varendes cohort was three students from Europe, who only arrived at the school in January last year.
Yehor Prusak had lived close to one of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations and was among those evacuated when the war with Russia started.
‘We lived in the Czech Republic at first, in the mountains in the middle of nowhere,’ he said.
‘Because we spoke English we looked to move to the UK and managed to get a sponsor here.’
Yehor achieved nine marks of 6 or above and was particularly pleased with an 8 in French.
‘I didn’t speak a word of the language at all when I arrived,’ he said.
‘The 9s in combined science are great as well.’
He is now off to study at a boarding school in Sevenoaks after winning a scholarship, but will return to Guernsey for the holidays, where his mum is still living.
‘My dad is still in Ukraine and we try to talk twice a day,’ he said.
‘My mum has WhatsApped him my results and I know he is really pleased.’
Twins Noemie and Maud Durand had recently arrived at Les Varendes from France.
While Noemie was very happy with her results, Maud was a little disappointed, although they both had to make a late start in the GCSE cycle.
‘I’m a bit disappointed with everything,’ she said.
‘But like my sister I have enough to study for the International Baccalaureate here at the Sixth Form College.’
