The sun was shining as we welcomed pupils from year 11 (and a small number from years 9 and 10) into school to collect GCSE and level 2 results today. There were plenty of smiles and, in lots of cases, the sense of relief was palpable. The last few months and, in particular, the last two weeks have been incredibly difficult for pupils. The issues following last week’s A level results day will have caused plenty of worry amongst pupils but the government’s decision earlier this week to award the highest of centre assessed or calculated grades to pupils alleviated many of those concerns.
Damian Painton, Principal, congratulated pupils: “2020 will, for a long time, be remembered as an unusual year for so much – not least examinations. However, we mustn’t lose sight of the hard work and commitment that year 11 pupils have shown throughout their time in school; these results are thoroughly deserved and will be a spring board for some very exciting next steps. We want pupils to know that we are proud of them – not just for all they have achieved but for the fantastic people they have become.”
Many pupils from year 11 have gone on to enrol in the Sixth Form at Rushcliffe, with this September’s year 12 cohort already on track to be the largest Sixth Form intake in the school’s history. A number of year 11 pupils will also progress onto a range of courses at local colleges, into apprenticeships in a number of fields or directly into the world of work. Whatever their next steps, we wish all pupils in year 11 the very best of luck for the future.