Posted: Thu 25th Aug 2016

Wrexham Students Celebrate ‘Best Ever Performance’ in GCSE Results

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Thursday, Aug 25th, 2016

It’s a nerve wracking day for students across the county borough – with thousands finding out if all their hard work paid off as they receive their GCSE Results.

In Wrexham well over half (57%) of students have achieved the Level 2+ Threshold indicator, which means at least 5 A*-C passes including English or Welsh (first language) and Maths.

This is a further increase on last year’s best ever performance of 54% and continues the trend of year-on-year improvement.

There has also been significant improvement in the core subjects of Language, Mathematics and Science, with 56% students who sat GCSEs achieving at least a C grade in all three subjects.

In total, 1233 pupils sat a broad range of GCSE, vocational and skills qualifications. Of these, 97% achieved the Level 1 Threshold (at least 5 passes at A*-G) which maintains last year’s performance.

Ffion Coates and Kay Morris - Maelor School

Ffion Coates and Kay Morris – Maelor School

The results have been praised by Councillor Michael Williams, Lead Member for Children’s Services and Education, who said: “These are very pleasing results and I congratulate our pupils for their diligence and hard work. I wish them well as they move to the next stage of their lives be it further education, training or employment.

“I am particularly pleased to see the sustained improvements made at the schools we have worked most closely with over the past 12 months.

“We will continue to support our schools as together we aspire to achieve educational excellence for young people in Wrexham.”

John Davies, Wrexham’s Head of Education added: “I warmly congratulate our young people on all their successes. With support from their teachers, parents and carers, they have worked very hard indeed to achieve this level of performance.

“I am particularly pleased to see the further improvement in the number of grades achieved at A* – C, particularly in the very important subjects of Language and Mathematics. There have also been many outstanding achievements by students of all abilities and significant improvements made by individual schools.”

Maelor School

Pupils and staff were “over the moon” with outstanding GCSE results from The Maelor School 5A*-C including English and Maths recording one of the highest performances in Wales.

Headteacher Simon Ellis stated “We knew the pupils were good but I have to say they’ve smashed all previous school records and their performance will be one of the best in Wales.

“To achieve over 80% is a landmark for the school and shows the tremendous dedication of the parents and the teaching staff.”

Mary McBain, Steffan Evans

In addition to the overall figure every pupil achieved at least a grade C in Science and all pupils who receive free school meals got 5A-C including English and Maths.

Head of Science Mrs Preston said “I am so proud of the pupils, for every one of them to get at least a C is superb. They have attended extra revision classes and after school seminars, for it all to pay off is fantastic.”

Deputy Headteacher Lynn Lloyd added: “As a year group they have been very supportive of each other and dedicated to their studies, we look forward to welcoming most of them back into our Sixth Form.”

St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School

St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School in Wrexham has reported excellent results. In the all-important Level 2 inclusive results (which report on the achievement of 5 or more higher grade passes including Maths and English), the school is particularly celebrating a success rate of 68% – surpassed only once before in the school’s history.

Effectively, almost 7 out of every 10 pupils achieved this new ‘gold’ standard – that’s more than 20 pupils in every class of thirty.

Notable individual successes include a pupil whom achieved 11 straight A* Grades, plus a Distinction in Additional Maths, another 5 whom achieved 12 A* and A Grades, a further 10 pupils whom achieved 11 A* and A grades amongst their qualifications, and another dozen whom achieved 10A* and A grades in addition to other grades.

Overall, a handsome 22% of the Year Group achieved at least 5 A* and A Grades, which equates to more than 6 pupils in every class.

The school’s lead core subject of RE saw 67% achieving Grade C or higher with just short of 25% achieving Grade A* or A, whilst in Full Course Welsh Second Language, more than 28% of pupils were awarded an A* or A Grade.

In fact, the higher grade pass rates in English, Maths and Science were all above 75%. Specifically, in Science, 25% of pupils achieved an A Grade, with pupils who studied the Separate Sciences being 100% successful in higher grade performance – 55% of Biology pupils achieved A* or A; over 38% in Physics achieved A* or A, and 40% in Chemistry achieved A* or A.

Headteacher, Mrs Maria B. Rimmer, said: “These fabulous results, combined with the school’s commitment and contribution to the wider spiritual, personal and social development of its pupils show that St Joseph’s really does add value to the education of its pupils. I am delighted for all our pupils and wish them every success in the next phase of their educational journey, and in their employment.

“No one can take away from these young people the fabulous set of achievements they are celebrating. It is all too easy for sections of society to knock the worth and talent of young people of today, but I know with real certainty that these fine young people will go on to make a great contribution to society and the common good.

“As I take early retirement in just a few days’ time, it is great to know that the school now moves securely into the strong and capable hands of Mr Chris Wilkinson, whom is, like me, ever conscious of, and grateful for, the tremendous support of parents and carers which underpin these results and of the hard work and sheer ability of the whole staff team at St Joseph’s.

“We benefit from the support of Officers in the Dioceses of St Asaph and Wrexham, as well as from Mr John Williams in the Local Authority. I would like to place on record my thanks to all our partners and my gratitude to the staff for being outstanding in all they do, not just in educating our pupils, but also supporting them on their faith journeys.”

Ysgol Rhosnesni

Mr Nic Harrison, Headteacher of Ysgol Rhosnesni High School in Wrexham was delighted to report that the school had achieved its highest ever GCSE performance which have continued the journey of improvement made by the school. 95% of students gained 5 or more GCSE passes with 83% achieving the Level 2 Threshold (5 GCSE A*-C grades). There has been significant improvements in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science.

Speaking of today’s results, he said: “The school has made significant overall improvement in the standard of achievement at numerous levels at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 and builds upon the previous successes in recent years and it is our goal to ensure that we continue to improve even further in the future.

“I therefore wish to extend my sincere congratulations to all the students who have worked tremendously hard to gain their qualifications and to wish them every success in the future.”

“There have been some outstanding results this year with some impressive individual achievements. 18 students (10% of Year 11) achieved 17 or more GCSE’s.

“These improvements to academic results along with the continued improved attendance in 2016 reflect the continued determination and commitment of the school to ensure the children at Ysgol Rhosnesni achieve their full potential and beyond.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff who have worked so hard to enable the students to achieve their results and the parents and Governors who have provided the support to enable our students to do so well.”

Ysgol Rhiwabon

Students and staff at Ysgol Rhiwabon are celebrating a successful set of key Stage 4 results with a significant increase in grades in all subjects.

The School is proud of the achievements of this year’s students as they prepare for sixth form studies or the world of work. There are some excellent individual achievements with far more students achieving A*/A grades across a range of subjects compared to recent years. The grades are a testament to the incredible amount of hard work put in by the students and staff, with lots of support from home and the local community.

Sam Davies-Smith - Ysgol Rhiwabon

James White – Ysgol Rhiwabon

Notable areas of success this year were:
– No student leaving Ysgol Rhiwabon without a recognised qualification
– 81% of students achieving 5 A* – C or the equivalent
– 5 A* – C grades including English and Mathematics up by 16%
– A* – C pass rate in Science and Mathematics up by over 20%
– A big increase in the GCSE A*/A grades
– Excellent results in all vocational subjects, including a number of distinctions

Headteacher, Mrs Melanie Ferron-Evans said: “We are really pleased with our Year 11 results. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff, students and parents for the huge amount of hard work across a wide range of subjects.

“Ysgol Rhiwabon continues to improve and these results will allow our youngsters opportunities to further their studies at sixth form or to enter the world of work as confident individuals. We wish them continued success and happiness in the future.



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