Students at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) are celebrating a remarkable set of GCSE results, with 71% of all entries awarded the top grades of 7, 8 or 9 – equivalent to an A or A*.
Nearly half of all exams (49%) were graded at 8 or above, while a quarter of entries (25%) achieved the highest possible grade, 9.
Among the standout performers were Swati and Diva, who each secured an extraordinary clean sweep of ten grade 9s. Swati will continue at GSAL Sixth Form to study biology, psychology and chemistry, while Diva plans to take maths, further maths, economics and chemistry.
This year’s GCSE cohort also includes a Great Britain swimmer, an international hockey player and one of the most promising young physicists in the country. Six students celebrated the rare achievement of gaining 9s across all ten of their subjects, while 30 others collected a suite of grade 8s and 9s.
Helen Stansfield, head of senior school at GSAL, praised both the academic results and the resilience of the students, who began their secondary education in the shadow of the COVID pandemic.
“We are so proud of this year’s GCSE cohort,” she said.
“These students joined Year 7 during the pandemic, missing out on many of the usual transition activities, and they had to adapt to bubbles and social distancing. Despite that difficult start, they have achieved outstanding results, including many remarkable individual successes.
“This is testimony to their hard work, the phenomenal support of their families and teachers, and the resilience they have developed over the past five years.”
The celebrations on results day reflected both relief and pride, as pupils, parents and staff gathered at the Alwoodley campus to share in the achievements of a year group that has overcome unique challenges to excel.
