Cockermouth School students received their 2020 GCSE results today and staff are pleased to see that students have been rewarded for their effort and attitude over the past two years.
Despite the disruption to their learning, staff are delighted that students have been rewarded with a set of grades that are fair and appropriate and that enable them to continue with the next stage of their educational careers.
Headteacher, Dr Rob Petrie, said “Cumbrian schools are proud to serve our children, their families and the communities they come from. This year the situation with Covid-19 and the shutdown of schools in March makes this results day unique. The grades our students are receiving are the result of the national standardisation of centre-assessed grades that we submitted back in June. We hope that students believe they have received grades that reflect the hard work and depth of learning they have put in throughout their courses. We congratulate them all on the manner in which they have coped in these quite extraordinary times.
“The Department for Education have cancelled Performance Tables for this year and there will be no amalgamated headline results published for schools, which is right and proper given the circumstances around the exams this year. There is no doubt that this decision leaves the focus on those that really deserve it, the people we should all be congratulating; the students.”
“Despite the unusual circumstances leading to the release of these exam results, today we want to celebrate our students who have demonstrated maturity and positivity during the coronavirus pandemic. We are so proud of their optimism for the future and share in their excitement for the next stage of their education. Congratulations go to all of our students who have performed exceptionally well in the face of very challenging circumstances; these results maintain the high level of achievement at Cockermouth School.”
There were many exceptional performances with 49 students obtaining 8 or more grades 9-7; particular congratulations go to Jake Black, Isabella Bridgman, Eloise Cole, Isabel Colley, Lucy Davies, William Devenish, Oliver Heron-Southward, Lizzie Pawson, Clare Rodger, Ben Smith and Anna Taylor who all achieved 6 or more grade 9s.
Dr Petrie added: “This has been a very challenging year for our students, who have adapted and coped well with the disruption to their studies. A mature and resilient approach to their GCSE courses has resulted in students being awarded exam grades that accurately reflect their hard work and ability.
“My thanks go to our dedicated staff who have worked with students during this time; as well as their contribution to academic and pastoral support this year, they have worked tirelessly to ensure that appropriate centre-assessed grades were submitted to reflect the exam result they would have expected students to achieve. In doing so, they have ensured that this cohort of students are not disadvantaged in any way and have all the opportunities of other year groups. I would also like to thank parents and carers for their continued support to ensure the very best for our students.
“We wish all of our students the very best in the next stage of their education, and look forward to welcoming many of them back to Cockermouth School Sixth Form on 2 September 2020.”