GCSE Results Day 2022: School leader praises 'fantastic' students on results despite tough time during Covid-19 pandemic

Denise Ritchie, head of school at St Wilfrid’s RC College in South Shields, said staff were extremely proud of the results achieved by Year 11 students in their GCSE and BTEC courses.

She said the school is delighted that the gifts and talents, hard work and dedication students and staff has been rewarded – particularly as those taking exams this year had coped with difficult years preparing for them during the Covid-19 pandemic and its disruptive impact on schools.

Despite the difficulties, St Wilfrid’s, part of the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, has seen all its ‘headline attainment measures’ improve since the last set of external examinations in 2019.

This includes improvements in the number of students achieving five strong passes in English and maths, and a significant increase in the number of students achieving strong EBacc qualifications.

“Students have had a tough academic journey and have shown real resilience in coping with the immense challenges brought about by the Covid pandemic,” said Mrs Ritchie.

"They are a fantastic cohort, who have displayed a positive attitude and a determination to succeed throughout their academic journey.

"Their hard work and support for each other has helped them to prepare for the first set of external examinations in three years. They have been a privilege to work with.”

St Wilfrid’s saw 20% of all GCSE entries hit Grade 7 or above, and Mrs Ritchie said there have been ‘exceptional performances by many students’.

These included Fruitfulness Omoragbon, who achieved 10 GCSEs at Grade 7 or above, including six at Grade 9; Yvonne-Maree McDermott, Alejandro White and Luke Hall, who all achieved a full set of results at Grade 7 or above, with five at Grade 9. Liam Allen, Byron Dean and Mya Robson all achieved outstanding progress.

Mrs Ritchie added: “We are thrilled for all of our students.

"The results are a true testament to the power of education in our ambitious curriculum and the calibre of our talented staff within St Wilfrid’s, part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.

“Our students should be immensely proud of what they have achieved; we wish them the best of luck for the future.

"We are delighted that so many of our students have chosen to continue their learning journey with us in our Sixth Form and we look forward to welcoming them back to school in September.”