“RGS students were rewarded for their impressive endeavour, disciplined application and genuine passion for learning with an excellent set of GCSE results. The most common grade achieved by our students was the gold-standard grade 9; in total 571 grade 9s were achieved. In addition, 451 grade 8s were also secured: over two-thirds of all grades were at grade 9 or 8. 63 students achieved nine or more grade 8 and 9s; 9 students secured the remarkable profile of 10 or more grade 9s.
With the relentless pace of change in the 21st century – Artificial Intelligence being just one such example – and the number of global issues and challenges which continue to face us all in the political, social, environmental and economic spheres, it is all the more important that schools are nurturing dynamic, innovative, and flexible problem solvers, team players and leaders. Transferable skills are key at a time where our students are going to be entering the world of work and applying for jobs which continue to evolve and develop. The fact that our students are studying a broad range of GCSEs and entering the Sixth Form with a diverse and balanced range of skills mean they can face the future with absolute confidence. Results are key but our bespoke Learning Habits of organisation, engagement, imagination, perseverance, aspiration and reflection provide the foundations for success in the future. I am also delighted that our students continue to study in significant numbers the performing arts, the creative arts, classical and modern languages, humanities as well as the traditional STEM subjects. This blend of disciplines and skills have arguably never been more important.
In recent days the media have focused on the stark and pronounced increase in poor mental health linked to exam anxiety specifically in this year’s GCSE cohort. We are, of course, proud of our results; however, equally, we could not be more proud of the way our students have shown resilience, maturity and stoicism in recent months. They have collaborated and supported each other with kindness and empathy throughout the process, they have been encouraged to be open and honest with their concerns, they have developed coping mechanisms to deal with deadlines and pressure, and with the challenges ahead of them in the Sixth Form, at university and in the work place they will now be better equipped to take the inevitable ups and downs of life in their stride.
I hope our students can now fully enjoy their successes and I am excited to follow the progress of this talented group of students as they return to school in September.”