Swindon’s GCSE results are continuing to improve, with more pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades.

A total of 2,259 Swindon students received their results yesterday, with 76 per cent gaining at least five or more GCSEs graded A* to C (up three percentage points), while the number gaining at least five GCSEs or equivalent graded A* to C including English and mathematics remained at 52 per cent.

Results were also up by three percentage points in the English Baccalaureate and there were improved performances in English and science.

The number of pupils gaining an A* to C in English rose by 0.4 per cent, while science saw an increase of 10 percentage points from last year with 57 per cent of pupils gaining two or more A* to C grades. However, the number of pupils gaining an A* to C in mathematics fell by one percentage point to 60%.

Coun David Renard, the council’s cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “I am very proud of our young people as these initial statistics indicate they have continued the improvement in GCSE results that we have seen in recent years. GCSEs are an important stepping stone to employment or further education and I would like to thank the teachers and pupils for their achievements.”

Clean sweeps

CLEAN sweeps of A* and A grades could be seen on the GCSE results slips of several students at The Ridgeway School.

Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Leigh scored a total of ten A*s and four As, and fellow student Lucy Fry achieved a total of ten A*s and three As.

Hannah Adams, 16, found out she had added seven A*s and six As to the high grades she had achieved previously.

Charlotte, of Broad Hinton, said: “I am really relieved. I started getting nervous this morning and when I got the envelope I just thought ‘let’s get this over with’. I have worked really hard to get these results, I am very ambitious.”

Charlotte is going to study English language and literature, biology, chemistry, maths and further maths at the school’s sixth form and is hoping to study medicine at university.

Lucy Fry, of Gorse Hill, already knew she had two A*s and one A before she opened her results, and was delighted she had added another eight A*s and two As to her total.

“I was really panicking before I got my results. I was scared to look at the sheet but then I looked down at the A*s and I thought ‘yes!’. I did a lot of revision, it was relentless work.”

Lucy is going to study physics, maths, graphics, music and music technology at New College and is hoping for a career in the music industry in the future.

Hannah, of Freshbrook, said she was buzzing after opening her results.

“This year has been really hard work, especially the exams. I worked hard throughout the year,” she said.

“When I came here this morning I was really nervous, I was on the verge of crying. When I saw my results I was really relieved.”

‘A brilliant year’

A total of 234 Year 11 students collected their GCSE results from The Ridgeway School in Wroughton.

The pupils performed better than last year’s class, with 76 per cent achieving five A* to C grades including English and maths.

Head Steve Colledge said: “One of our hopes has been to pass the 70 per cent mark and we have achieved it, so for us it is a fantastic result.

“The 76 per cent is up 14 per cent on last year.

“A total of 91 per cent of students got five A* to C grades.

“It has been a brilliant year. Let’s hope we can maintain it.”

Another year of improvements

IT WAS another record breaking year for students at Churchfields Academy as they tore into the envelopes containing those all-important bits of paper.

Headteacher Steve Flavin said 87 per cent of students achieved five or more good grades, and 55 per cent of youngsters achieved that high standard including maths and English.

He also said that 83 per cent students at the school, which opened as one of the Government’s new Outstanding Academies last September, achieved top grades in science, which he believed to be the highest of any school in Swindon.

“I am absolutely thrilled with the results of our students, which have exceeded all of our targets,” he said.

“This year’s results mean that Churchfields examination results have improved every year since 2004, which is remarkable.”

Among the top performers were Saroj Rana, who achieved five A*s, five As, one B and a Distinction in ICT; Emma Pocock, who achieved one A*, 6 As, 3 Bs and two Distinctions; and Aedan Mansfield, who achieved two A*s, five As, three Bs and an ICT Distinction.

Out of the whole year group, 34 per cent of students achieved at least one A* to A grade across a range of subjects, which is higher than the national average.

“The staff and students of Churchfields Academy have worked incredibly hard and I also wish to acknowledge the support of the parents,” said Mr Flavin.

“I am confident that the dedication and enthusiasm of my team will lead to even greater success in the future.”