We are today celebrating the excellent achievements of our Year 11 students as they open their long awaited GCSE results. It has, of course, been an extraordinary and challenging year for students, the majority of whom have not been on the school site since the lockdown was implemented in March. Students were grateful for the morning’s dry weather which meant that they were comfortably able to collect their results – albeit in a socially distanced manner – in person from the staff team outside the school building. It was wonderful to be able to congratulate the students directly and wish them well for their next steps at college/training.
The awarding of GCSE results has not been without controversy this academic year, with the Government and Ofqual’s approach being heavily scrutinised in the media. The Department for Education confirmed on 18 August that ‘… A and AS level students will be reissued their centre assessment grades. GCSE students will also receive their centre assessment grades on Thursday. Anyone who received a calculated grade higher than their centre assessment grade will not see their grade reduced’. This means that pupils across the country should not be adversely affected by Ofqual’s standardisation processes:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofqual
The school’s provisional results indicate a very good performance by the year group as a whole, and some truly impressive individual achievements. Notably, 52% of students achieved a strong pass (grade 5 or above) in English and mathematics; 74% achieved a standard pass (grade 4 or above) in both, which is the minimum entry requirement for the majority of A Level/Level 3 courses. 15% of students achieved the highest grades of 9/8 in Maths, and 11% of students achieved the highest grades of 9/8 in English (Lit.). Well done to all of the students! (Grade 5 is approximately equivalent to the former grade B, and grade 4 to the former grade C.)
Other notable successes this year include students’ performance in Science: over 92% of students achieved a grade 5 or above in Biology, Chemistry and Physics; of these students, 12 achieved a grade 9 in Biology, 12 achieved a grade 9 in Chemistry and 11 achieved a grade 9 in physics – outstanding!
The coveted GCSE grade 9 is designed to be more difficult to achieve than the former A* grade. This year, overall, 106 grade 9 GCSEs across the subjects (6% of all grades) were achieved by Springfield’s students - an excellent achievement, beating last year’s record of 101 grade 9s!
Headteacher, Sara Spivey, stated, “Our students have demonstrated remarkable resilience and optimism during what has been a very unsettling time for everyone. It has been delightful to be able to see them again today and to hand over their well-deserved GCSE grades. They should be proud of all their achievements at school. We wish them every success and happiness for the future. I’d like to thank the teachers and other staff who have supported the students throughout their time at the school. Well done to the whole Springfield community!”
The photographs below shows some of Springfield’s top achievers in 2020 and students collecting their results from the school:
From left: Michel Rajzer, Timothy Kuruvilla, Joel Bassil, Elizabeth Kale, Katelyn Robinson and Isobel Griggs
Results of those pictured:
Michel Rajzer - one 6, two 7s, one 8 and eight 9s
Timothy Kuruvilla - one 5, three 8s and seven 9s
Joel Bassil - two 7s and nine 9s
Elizabeth Kale - one 8 and ten 9s
Katelyn Robinson - one 6, six 8s and four 9s
Isobel Griggs - one 7, three 8s and seven 9s
