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Teachers have been praised for the extra guidance and support they offered to students studying for their GCSEs during the pandemic.

Year 11 students picking up their GCSE results this week were keen to highlight how their teachers had helped them to achieve their potential.

Head girl Poppy Hazle, picked up three grade 9, four grade 8 and two grade 7 and is heading to Sir Frederick Gibberd College to study English literature, history and government and politics.

She said: “I was shocked to get grade 9s. I got these grades because our teachers gave us lots of support. Even when our lessons were remote, they did it really well. I really enjoyed online learning. I could make notes in my own time, rather than at the class’s pace. We were also given extra feedback and extra resources to use, so it was all really positive. Our teachers were always on their emails and able to respond to us when we needed them.

“I wanted to stay within the BMAT family of schools for sixth form because I know the teachers and that is a comfort to me. I am looking forward to a more grown-up environment and more freedom.”

 

Head boy Xavi Toms, will study maths, economics and computer science at sixth form with ambitions of becoming a software engineer.

He achieved six grade 9, one grade 8, one grade 7 and one grade 6 in his GCSEs.

He said: “I feel quite proud of my results. I am happy and excited. I was so nervous to open them, but my response was just ‘wow’. I had no other words.

“The school has done a lot to help me to get here. To get a grade 9 at any time is very difficult, but to get them after working online is down to the support of my teachers, friends and family. The school has given phenomenal help. If you had any problems, you could email teachers or speak to them during online lessons. When we got back into school, everything was back to normal and seamless. The catch-up lessons were so great; I can’t express how much those lessons helped me.”

 

Matas Buitkus, from Harlow, will also join the first cohort of Sir Frederick Gibberd College sixth formers and will study maths, history and politics.

He picked up eight grade 9 and one grade 7 in his GCSEs.

He said: “I am really happy with my results. I have put in a lot of work, so seeing them on paper was really satisfying.

“I feel like a lot of this success is down to my teachers, more than anything. They offered a lot of support, especially during the pandemic. Everyone was given more attention and overall support in what they were doing. The teacher and student relationship got stronger and that helped a lot.

“I am looking forward to all the things Sir Frederick Gibberd offers that others might not, such as lots of extra-curricular activities outside of the A-levels to get involved with.”

 

Keira Gardner, from Harlow, will study biology, English literature, psychology and core maths at sixth form, having achieved three grade 9, four grade 8, two grade 7 and one grade 6 at GCSE.

She said: “I feel really good; I’m really happy with my results. They are what I was hoping for. I worked quite hard, so they were well deserved.

“The school has helped me a lot, especially during Covid-19. Most of our learning has been online, but teachers still did a lot to make sure everyone caught up and had the support they needed to get the grades they wanted. Teachers had their emails open all the time, so whenever we had questions or got stuck, they were available any time of the day to help us. They gave extra work if there was an area we were struggling with, so we felt confident in the subjects we were studying.

“Sixth form will give us responsibility and teach us valuable life skills. The opportunity to make new friends and work in a different environment will be really nice.”