GCSE Results 2015: King James’s School, Knaresborough

The top performances at GCSE included a large group of students achieving 11 or more full GCSE’s at grades A* and A. They were Abigail Sayers, Rachel Stanley, Lois Penney, Heather Rowe, Edward Taylor, Jacob Brown, Rowena Lloyd, Rebekah Rochester, Penny Salter, Holly Tinsley and Matthew Walton.

Headteacher Carl Sugden said: “All credit must go to the students for their hard work over the two years of study and to the teachers for preparing the students for what have been a demanding set of exams.

“The national picture shows that this is a transitional year for the GCSE exam. There have been a lot of changes to the exam system, with more to come, and these students are caught in the middle of the old system and the new system which will come in by 2017. Achieving the top grades is demanding and we are delighted with the results.

“It is very difficult for schools to know this year how their performance compares to previous years or against results nationally because there is so much volatility in the exam system. What really counts though is the results that students have on their certificates, not what the rules are about what appears in the school league tables. What is clear from the results today is that the vast majority of students have what they need to go on to study A Levels or to the appropriate course in further education. Many of our subjects including Biology, Physics, Computer Science, Art and Drama were close to 100% A*-C grades and this gives many students an excellent platform for going on to A Level study.”

Chair of Governors, Dennis James, added his congratulations to students and staff and said “as a big comprehensive school, taking all students from Knaresborough and the surrounding area, we have to ensure all students achieve their potential. Achievement at all levels has been very good this year and the governors would like to congratulate the students and thank the staff for their hard work.”