THE standard of GCSE exam performances is higher than ever and results have been celebrated across Thanet. Peter Barnett and Nick Evans report on the class of summer 2008.

The Charles Dickens School, Broadstairs

Strong performances in traditional core and vocational subjects are behind the best performance at GCSE since the school opened more than 50 years ago.

Head teacher Andrew Olsson is “extremely pleased” with the achievements of students, which have resulted in 56 per cent gaining five or more A*-C grades in a wide range of subjects, with a large number gaining A* and A passes.

He added: “We have also met the Government’s benchmark of 30 per cent of students gaining English and maths among their passes. The target time under the National Challenge is 2011 and we are three years in advance which demonstrates our continual drive to raise standards.”

This year also saw the largest number of GCSE candidates in the school’s history with more than 200 students sitting the exams.

Mr Olsson said: “The big ger the intake, the greater the challenge. I am proud of our students who have all done very well at a variety of attainment levels.”

Strong core and vocational subject performances included ICT, sociology, psychology, drama and business

Chatham House Grammar School, Ramsgate

As the school celebrates another record year in GCSE examinations, head teacher John Mathews has called for an urgent review of both existing GCSEs and the emerging diplomas to ensure they are of equivalent standard.

He said: “Bright, able and conscientious students can now take too many exams and, with coursework, this imparts too much pressure upon them. In a small minority of cases – at the other end of the scale – students have too many chances to reach the Department for Children, Schools and Families 'gold standard’ and it may be too easy to acquire five A*-C passes. Currently some GCSEs are easier than others and the picture is very confusing for employers and even sixth form and university admissions’ tutors.

“But, for the present, do not let me take anything away from the vast majority of boys here who have worked as hard – or harder – than previous generations of Chatham House School boys. Their endeavours will have made them very much in demand by university admissions tutors and employers in the future.”

In terms of the Government’s “gold standard” of five A*-C passes, 97.3% reached this standard including Maths and English.

Highlights include all Year 10 early entry Maths group gaining A’s or A* passes, while all GCSE candidates for English and maths gained A* to C passes. Students taking triple science all gained a B grade or above, and Mr Mathews added: “This is great news and confirms why we are a specialist school for Maths and Science.”

Results for Music and Design Technology were also first class and a staggering 36 entrants gained an A* in Religious Studies.

Five students, Jon Aspital, Ben Lavender, Duncan Freeman, Joseph Gabriel and Tom Revell accumulated a remarkable 14 GCSE passes, virtually all at the top grades. Another eleven have gained 13 passes.

Clarendon House Grammar School, Ramsgate

Two 12-year-old students are celebrating top passes in the summer GCSE exams – three years earlier than usual.

Rebecca Reynolds gained an A* in German while fellow Year 8 student Megane Leroux achieved an A* in French at the specialist languages school.

Katie Lewendon recorded the best GCSE performance in the UK in her statistics exam as part of a total of 10 A* and one A passes.

Other high fliers are Fiona Joseph and Lisa Kenney, each with seven A* and four A passes; Louise Wheeler with seven A* and three A passes; Carly Rother with seven A* and three A passes; Rebecca Ward with five A* and six A passes; Diana Harrison with five A* and four A passes; Lucy Porter with four A* and six A passes; and Rachel Seaman with one A* and ten A passes.

Year 10 students took the exams a year earlier and turned in impressive performances with six girls gaining A* in citizenship and a further four gaining an A pass in the subject. One Year 10 student achieved an A* in Arabic.

Candidates recorded 100 per cent pass rate in English and 97 per cent in mathematics, with 95 per cent gaining more than five A*-C passes.

Head teacher Jane Bennett is delighted. She said: “I am very proud of our students and staff. It is a team effort and the results are again very good.”

Dane Court Grammar School, Broadstairs

Results are on a par with last year, said exams officer Graham Felstead, with 97 per cent of students achieving five A*-C passes, including English and Maths. 40% of subjects were passed at A* or A grade.

“We are all very pleased with the results and the hard work by the students and staff has paid off. Most of the students will be staying on for A levels,” said Mr Felstead.

There were a number of outstanding individual results: Katie Carnell, Jessica Emms, Daniel Martin, Jade Bourne, Ruan Opperman and Matthew Wise each gained 7 A* grades. Kevin Murphy gained 8 A*s and Artemis Argyrides gained 10 A*s. However, two outstanding girls, Ruth Neve and Laura Oliver, stole the show by each gaining 11 A* grades.

Headteacher Paul Luxmoore said: “This is an important year group to us and 20 of them will be the first to study the International Baccalaureate. Their results promise a great deal – they will make an excellent Sixth Form.”

Sarah Stivarius, assistant head, said: “I am so proud of them all and of their excellent teachers. They have made us very proud and I am sure their parents and families will be delighted with their success.”

Ellington School for Girls, Ramsgate

Students have once again performed very well in the summer GCSE exams, maintaining a high standard.

Acting head teacher Tony Hamson said: “The results are extremely pleasing. It has been a transitional year for the students and staff. They have settled into a new campus at a different location; and there have been some management changes too.

“While these factors can be unsettling, the students and staff have knuckled down and risen to the challenges magnificently.

“Ellington retains one of the most impressive contextual value added indicators in the UK which shows just how well our girls surpass the attainment levels originally expected of them when they join in Year 7.

“This desire to learn and expand their educational abilities is clearly mirrored in the GCSE results.

“Around 42 per cent gained at least five or more A*-C grades, and when you factor in the mandatory inclusion of English and maths as two of the five subjects, this is a very steady 26 per cent.

“Ellington is a school that should be proud of its success at all levels – in the classroom, in extra curricular activities, and in the examinations.”

Ellington is East Kent’s only specialist school for Humanities, with the accent firmly on English, History and Drama.

Hartsdown Technology College, Margate

Principal Andy Somers has hailed: “an Olympian effort by students, staff and parents” to achieve a record year for GCSE results.

He said: “This truly is a gold medal performance – we have surpassed our best ever rating from last year by at least ten per cent.

“Around 57 per cent of our students gained five or more A*-C grades which is a fantastic achievement for this college and demonstrates that we are carrying the torch for educational improvement at all levels, in traditional and vocational subjects and courses.”

The pass level for five A-C or more including English and maths has increased to 18 per cent, a figure which Mr Somers says is improving all the time.

He added: “It has been an excellent year at Hartsdown – a first rate Ofsted inspection, best ever A level results, and now the GCSE success. It shows that hard work pays off.”

A record number of students will be moving into the college sixth form in September, Mr Somers added.

Hereson School for Boys, Broadstairs

Once again the performance of students in the GCSE exams has set new records.

Hereson’s best ever set of results has pleased head teacher Tony Hamson who said: “These are thoroughly deserved – the boys and the staff have worked so hard.”

Around 41 per cent of candidates gained five or more A*-C grades, while 23 per cent gained five or more A*-C grades including English and maths.

Mr Hamson said: “These are good solid performances that will give our boys a strong platform for work, training or further education.

“They are well-equipped for the next stage of their careers, and they have developed vital learning and life skills in their time at Hereson. We wish them every success.”

The value added factor – the increase in attainment levels during the students’ time at the school – is once again “very good.”

King Ethelbert’s School, Birchington

Head Carole Bailey said she was delighted with this year’s results which set a new record for King Ethelbert’s. 50 per cent of the year group gained at least five passes at A*-C grades. 93 per cent of the students gained five passes between A*-G grades.

“One of the things we have always tried to do is ensure there is success across the broad range of subjects taught here,” she said.

“We have had plenty of support in place from the staff to help our students be successful. Everyone has worked very hard here and these are the best results ever.”

Among the students Anthony Mayes, 16, was delighted with his 10 C passes. “I really didn’t think I was going to achieve these results. I am so pleased. I can go to college now and study IT.”

Marlowe Academy, Ramsgate

Taking into account English and maths in the five A-C benchmark, the government’s new standards indicator, students recorded a 13 per cent pass rate, almost doubling last year’s seven per cent, which was one of the poorest performances in the UK.

Principal Ian Johnson said: “The goalposts have been moved with this new English and maths marker. We have met, spectacularly, the old standard of five GCSEs A* to C. Now we have a new challenge to meet 30 per cent five GCSEs, including English and maths, by 2011.

“I am confident that we are well on course to meet, and possibly exceed, this new target having nearly doubled the pass rate from last year. We are not moaning about the new criteria – just getting on with the job.”

A pass rate of more than 52 per cent in a range of general GCSE A* - C levels signalled an overall 13 per cent improvement on last year’s results.

Around 94 per cent of students gained at least one GCSE. Among the successful students are: Hannah Fowler who gained 11.5 GCSEs including five A grades; Jennifer Lincoln who gained 10.5 GCSEs including five A grades; Simon Smith who gained 9.5 GCSEs including five A grades.

St George’s Church of England Foundation School, Broadstairs

Impressive performances at traditional and vocational subjects were among the best ever GCSE results.

Head teacher Keith Rumblo said: “It is fantastic to set another record for examination success and I wholeheartedly praise the students and the staff for a magnificent overall effort.”

Sixty five per cent of candidates gained five A*-C grades with many excelling with high grades and surpassing their expectations.

The number who achieved English and maths among their five A*-C passes was just over 20 per cent, an improvement on last year, and well on the way to meeting the Government’s 30 per cent figure under the National Challenge by 2011.

Mr Rumblo added: “We are making determined progress in this category and a number of intervention strategies are under way to encourage the target to be met in the next three years.”

Vocational subjects were strong once again with business-related results featuring well including distinctions.

Top performers included Charlotte Clark with 13.5 A*-C grades including five As; Gemma Spain with 16.5 A*-C grades including a distinction for health and social care; Damola Pedro, 13.5 A*-C grades including an A* in maths and three A passes; Courtney Adams, 15.5 A*-Cs; John Hamlyn, 14.5 A*-Cs; and Jack Hearn, 13.5 A*-Cs.

Last week St George’s students recorded their best ever showing in the summer A Level examinations.

Thanet College

The College celebrated successful results overall with a 98% pass rate in all subjects and there were lots of smiling faces as students aged 17 – 60 opened their results.

Mature students Melinda May and Heidi Dawson achieved Bs in science. Both have juggled family life with studying. Heidi cannot work as she has a child with autism, but wanted to keep her brain active and support her friend through the course. Melinda is intending to go on to a teacher training access course at the college.

Shannon Taylor, Jessica Lapthorn and Danny Walsh, all 17, were thrilled with their results in business communications, English, maths and science and it was a double celebration for Danny who had also passed his driving test.

Among those celebrating great results was Gemma Murray, 25, who achieved a grade B in English and a C in maths. She hopes to train to be a primary school teacher and eventually set up her own home tutoring business.