Cardinal Vaughan pupils shine in GCSE examinations

More than half of exams passed at top three grades of 9 - 7 - significantly up on pre-pandemic 2019 results.

Over a third of exams passed at top two grades of 9 - 8, more than three times the national average in England.

Many congratulations to the Cardinal Vaughan Fifth Form on their excellent GCSE results. They worked very hard through the many challenges posed by the pandemic and their results are hugely well deserved.

Due to national grade inflation caused by exam cancellations during the pandemic, the Government and regulator Ofqual have this year decided to reset grade boundaries to where they were before the pandemic in 2019. Compared to 2019, Cardinal Vaughan pupils achieving the top three GCSE grades of 9 -7 is significantly higher, accounting this year for 55.4% of all exams taken against the equivalent figure of 49.5% in 2019. This is well over twice the national average in England with 22.4% of exams awarded at 9 - 7.

Other highlights include:

• 37.1% of GCSEs awarded the top two grades 9 & 8, more than three times the national average of 12%
• 17.1% at grade 9, against the national average of 4.9%
• 71.1% awarded grades between 9 - 6
• 9 pupils awarded 7 or more grade 9s, and 12 pupils with 6 or more grade 9s

Paul Stubbings, Headmaster, comments: “This year's GCSE cohort faced unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic and their excellent results are testament to their determination, hard work and resilience. The scale of their achievements is underlined by size of the increase in number of exams passed at the top three grades compared to 2019, up by nearly five percentage points.

As well as paying tribute to our pupils for these incredible results, we are also incredibly grateful to our talented teaching staff for their tireless work to help pupils fulfil their potential. We look forward to welcoming back pupils into our Sixth Form in the coming weeks as they embark on the next phase of their school careers, building on the momentum."

Caroline Whelan, Associate Head & Head of Upper School, adds: “Congratulations to our Fifth Form for everything that they have achieved. This year group have faced more disruption than any other due to the pandemic, demonstrating perseverance and a positive mindset to achieve excellent results. We look forward to even greater success in the Sixth Form, as our pupils build on these strong foundations."