8 September 2023
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rieni, Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Congratulations to all of our Key Stage 4 students on their amazing results!
This morning, it was the turn of our Year 10 and 11 students to make the nervous journey to school to receive their exam results.
If you are reading this blog as an adult you will have been through the school examination system yourself and can testify that it is stressful enough in ‘normal times.’ Would any of us wish to do it again in this context? I think not! So we have the upmost respect for these young people who are forging their way with optimism and determination. Today is about celebrating their achievements.
Our GCSE students have demonstrated incredible determination and dedication over the last few months, and we’re thrilled to see so many achieve the results for which they had hoped. We appreciate that the definition of success differs between individual students depending on their personal goals, but we believe that all of our young people have something to be proud of following these results and we’re pleased to have been able to play our part in this.
Today, we saw our largest Year 11 cohort to date, over 300 students, receive their GCSE results, with students achieving exceptional results in a range of academic and vocational qualifications. These achievements include:
- 30% of students achieved at least five GCSEs at A*/A
- 42 students achieved 10 or more GCSEs at A*/A grade
- 9 students achieved 15 straight A*/A grades
- A further 8 students achieved 14 straight A*/A grades
- 98% of the student cohort achieved the Level 1 threshold (five qualifications including three GCSEs)
- Nearly 70% of the student cohort achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and Mathematics
While 160 students are choosing to study for their A Levels at Llanishen High School, other students are celebrating their progression into vocational pathways including entrance to the army, nursing, and apprenticeships into a range of professions including carpentry, engineering, motor mechanics and beauty therapy.
Here are some of the wonderful stories that we captured during the morning…
On receiving a magnificent set of results, Freya Curtis in Year 11 shared her plans!
“I will be studying Philosophy Religion and Ethics, Drama, History and English Literature in Llanishen High Sixth Form. I’m looking forward to studying subjects that I’m very passionate about. I found my school experience fun, but I can’t wait for the independence of Sixth Form!! I’m really looking forward to getting back to my extra-curricular passions too. These include the school debating club and the spectacular school shows!”
For Tyler Dean, a bag of A* – C grades has secured him a place in Sixth Form AND a holiday to Blackpool. Tyler, who is a massive character in our Hearing Impaired Unit said..
“I’m pretty happy with my results. I’m surprised with my Chemistry and Physics grades. I got an A in both, and I was expecting a C. I’ve had support from all the teachers through out the years. Without them, I don’t think I could’ve done it. That’s massively helped me and of course the grades I got today. Revision was pretty hard; I tried my best to stay consistent with my revision. To celebrate, I’m going on holiday to Blackpool tomorrow to see my family up there.”
Lilah Mali Derwen is a member of our Autism Base. Despite missing her first year of secondary school before moving into LHS, Lilah has blown us all away with her results.
“I was quite surprised, I thought it would be lower. I’m proud of myself. I know I had a few moments that were really stressful last year, but I got there. I had a lot of post-it notes that covered my whole room at one point. My plan is to do my A Levels at Llanishen which I’m very excited about.”
A very proud mum described the pressure that Lilah puts on herself as a proper perfectionist. But she’s done so well and mum is so so proud. Family celebrations will follow tonight!
Congratulations also go to Elijah Fantham on securing some amazing results. Elijah is headed to college in September to pursue a vocational course in electrical, plumbing and tiling. Another holiday is on the horizon!
Elijah said: “I feel happy about my results because I got what I needed. The last year has been stressful, but today I feel so happy, it’s like the weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I’m going to go to college, where I’ll be doing an electrical, plumbing and tiling course.”
Congratulations also go to Morgan Howden who is celebrating his 6A*s, 2As and 4 Bs.
He said: “I’m over the moon, I was expecting an A* in Physics but didn’t think I would get a B in Welsh! I’m planning on coming to sixth form here. In the future, I want to go into engineering or aero space, do something that I enjoy.”
Proud dad and step-mum said: “We are relieved. Morgan was diagnosed with autism in 2020. The pandemic really hit him hard because he needed that guidance from teachers. But he’s done really well and we are so proud. Tonight, we are going out for a meal to celebrate.”
Now, the run up to results day was an anxious wait for parents as well as the students. So imagine being the parents of triplets!!!
Triplets Chloe, Saffie and Jesse Freese all achieved an amazing set of results. They secured 38 GCSE grades between them, with 20 of these being at A*-A! That deserves some serious celebration. We can’t wait to welcome them all back to Sixth Form in September.
It has been a brilliantly hectic morning and amazing to have the students and their families on site to share their successes. Here is a further round up of some of the superstars who collected their results today…….
Sometimes, the parents were more overjoyed than their offspring! And understandably so. Such a proud day.
Some students were totally chilled and took it all in their stride….!
It was also great to see so many students from Year 10 this morning. This is your half-way pit stop! A chance to pause for breath, take stock and think about what you want to achieve in your final year of statutory education. We commend you on your Year 10 journey. You have also contended with exceptional challenge with determination and good grace.
Luke Cretu in Year 10 picked up a stunning set of results and definitely took first place for style! When asked why he turned up in a sparkly red jacket, he said: “Basically it started as a joke between me and my friends. But I didn’t want to think about the test scores – coming in a suit was my way of getting my mind off it. My friends and I all agreed that we would turn up in either pyjamas or suits. I’m the only one that did. At first I felt self aware, but I don’t care anymore. It’s a unique way of remembering the day.”
Luke moved to Wales from Romania six years ago and says his results will help him to achieve his dream of being a software engineer.
Here is the all important jacket. Maybe we’ll see it again next year?!
As always, I would also like to extend my thanks to our teachers, support staff and examinations team for the huge amount of work that has been undertaken throughout the year to ensure that our students achieve the qualifications to enable them to progress to the next stage of their lives in education or employment.
Again, we take our hats off to parents and family members who have supported, nudged, and walked that fine balance of supporting these young people through the last 10/11 years.
Our journey with some of you will continue and we’ll be seeing some familiar faces this September as we welcome back over 160 students hoping to start their A Levels with us at Sixth Form. We look forward to seeing how these individuals thrive in the next phase of their education. As we have been from the moment they stepped through our doors, we’ll be here to support them every step of the way. For others pursuing alternative routes, we wish them the absolute best of luck in all of their future endeavours, and we can’t wait to see what they will achieve. For now…
Thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry, Headteacher