Our Fifth Form boys are celebrating an impressive set of GCSE results with almost half of all grades marked at 9 or 8 (the old A* grade); and an impressive 71% at 9-7 (A*- A), setting a new school record.
Head Master James Hodgson said, “We are delighted for this year’s GCSE boys, who have navigated the Covid years through school admirably and achieved some wonderful results at the end of it. While we have highlighted some of the most successful boys below, there were also many more great stories, every one of which is a personal triumph. I congratulate them all, and the teachers and parents, who have inspired them on their way.”
Despite national declining numbers in the creative arts subjects, it was wonderful to see so many boys excelling in art, music and drama, and combining these subjects with sciences and maths, and considerable sporting opportunities they have throughout school. For many, they will continue these subjects, as well as newer subjects, such as media studies and computer science, in the Sixth Form.
We caught up with some of the boys to find out what their results mean to them.
Despite juggling a successful gymnastics career with his schoolwork, Eric Breslin was delighted with ten grade 9s and one grade 8. Eric, who is currently ranked 20th in the UK for gymnastics in his age group, explained, “I was quite nervous beforehand. I wasn’t sure how well I would do and I’m just happy the hard work has paid off. Fitting my gymnastics in with revision time was probably my biggest challenge. I didn’t want to let the sports side of things slide, but I think I have managed it.” Eric was also recognised by the exam board for his mark in art, who added a rare note to say, “Eric was one of the highest performers”.
Alexander Olleson decided to open his envelope of results at school in the ‘traditional’ way and was delighted to see eight grade 9s and two grade 8s printed on his certificate. Alex said, “I’m quite surprised because the two subjects that I got 8s in were meant to be my strongest, but overall, I am absolutely delighted with my results. Physics was a subject that was a challenge for me and one I had to focus on most. It was a lot of hard work at the end and so I was really glad that came out as a 9.” Alex explained that the school put on lots of clinics and extra sessions in the lead up to the exams and that “the prep sessions in my boarding house enabled me to sit down and really focus.” Alex, who was named the BBC Young Chorister of the Year in 2020, came to Bedford School on a music scholarship, and so it’s perhaps not surprising that Alex has chosen music as one of his A-Levels (along with chemistry, biology and geography).
Fred Dickson was beaming with seven 9s and three 8s after being a little anxious in the lead up to results day, but is “delighted and pleasantly surprised” now his results have sunk in. English Literature has always been Fred’s nemesis and he has worked hard throughout the last three years to lift his predicted mark. Thankfully, all his hard work paid off after achieving a top scoring 9. Fred said, “I had to work so hard for that. I attended all the English Literature clinics that were put on and met with my teachers during break time to go through past papers.” Fred will go on to do the IB at Sixth Form, because he explained, “I like the coursework element – it takes a lot of pressure off the actual exam. I also like being able to do more subjects.”
Reuben Jacob was surprised and delighted with nine grade 9s and two grade 8s. Reuben opened his results with his parents, who were naturally over the moon. He found keeping his motivation during the exams period the hardest part, but “The attitude of the teachers really helped with this. They always wanted me to work hard and supported me in any way they could.” Reuben will now study maths, biology and chemistry at A-Level, not only because he likes all of these subjects, but also because they provide a pathway into medicine, which is a field that Reuben would like to pursue.
Oscar White was thrilled to open eight grade 9s and two grade 8s after being quite apprehensive about the grades he might achieve. Oscar explained, “My goal was not to get any 7s, and I managed that, and so I’m really happy. I paid a lot of attention in class and did a lot of revision in order to remember the sheer amount of material, especially for history and geography.” Oscar put much of his success down to practice, and more practice, saying, “We did lots of block tests, marking and feedback of work to help me stay on track.” Oscar will now go on to study maths, further maths, computer science and physics at A-Level, and hopes to be able to follow his passion and study computer science at university.
Ra’ed Rizwan, who achieved seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and one grade 7, also opened his results at school and said, “I’m proud and very happy. The ones I worked hard at, I excelled at, and that’s a good feeling.” Ra’ed’s biggest challenge was keeping consistent and staying focussed in the lead up to the exams. Ra’ed went on to say, “The teachers here are very good at their jobs. They’re very open and any time I wanted to ask for help I could. Mr Vann was always there for History questions and always willing to mark any extra work that I did.” Ra’ed will now study maths, English, art and media studies at A-Level with a view to one day working in digital media.
Will Turner was relieved and very happy to open his results to see nine 9s and one 8. Will explained, “I’m quite deaf and so I tend to miss quite a bit in lessons and so I have had to put a lot more time into my studies. Academic Support here at school has been brilliant in understanding what I have needed and conveyed that to me.” Will goes on to study maths, art, chemistry and physics at A-Level with a view to going to do an engineering or architecture degree.
Tanay Rai could not stop smiling after achieving a staggering set of results; nine grade 9s and one grade 8 and was absolutely “over the moon and really pleased”. Tanay went on to say, “All the hard work and extra sessions really paid off. I was poorly with Covid just before my drama exam and so that was a big challenge, but I had constant support and extra sessions from the teachers during lunchtimes and break times to help me through. I had good communication with my teachers, and they were all willing to help me put in the extra work. When you have a support base like that it really helps – it’s nice to be surrounded and nurtured.” Tanay has chosen to do the International Baccalaureate (IB) at Sixth Form because he says, “I love all my subjects and didn’t want to drop any. Also, I’m looking at the top universities and the IB is huge now.”
Hamish Whiteman’s set of results was very impressive with ten grade 9s and one grade 8. He explained, “I was surprised. I didn’t think I had done as well as I did. Spanish was my biggest challenge, but I worked very hard by going to extra speaking sessions and using all the resources available to me.” Hamish has not fully decided on which A-Levels he will do, but is leaning towards English, Latin and economics, simply because they are his favourites.
Will Hayward was “very surprised” to achieve eight grade 9s and two grade 8s. “I thought that every subject would be one down, and so I’m so pleased with my results.” Will opened his results at home with his Mum and Dad, who were overjoyed and hugely proud of Will. Will said the school really helped with exam preparation – he explained, “They make the top grades so attainable by giving us so much realistic practice.” Will goes on to Sixth Form to study A-Level history, economics, politics and geography as, “They’re the ones I enjoy and they’re the most interesting, and I like giving a point of view in essays.”
Fergus Tongue had a huge smile on his face when he saw he had achieved eight grade 9s, three grade 8s. Fergus began getting nervous when he started hearing stories in the media about results being low nationally and grade boundaries going up. Fergus said, “I opened my results at home but wanted to come into school to see them in black and white as I couldn’t quite believe it!” Fergus balanced his rowing training with his studies and was worried that he wasn’t doing enough revision. “The library was my sanctuary; it was good to have a quiet place that I could go to when I needed to.”
Eric He is one of our boarders and currently in China with his family. Eric achieved seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and a grade 7. He told us on email, “Overall I am very pleased with my results, and I am happy that the time I put into revision paid off. School gave me the opportunity to sit trials and mocks before the real exams to help get me used to exam conditions so that could focus my mind. I would also like to give my thanks to my teachers too, for they helped me construct a very clear plan on how to revise for each subject.” Eric will continue his Sixth Form here at Bedford and plans to study A-Level maths, further maths, history and economics.
Matthew Au gained seven grade 9s, one grade 8 and a grade 7 and explained that being a boarder played a vital role in his journey to success. He said, “My roommates and I supported each other by quizzing one another and sharing notes. In my view, helping each other out was the key reason I succeeded during that tough period, which led to the good results I achieved.” Looking ahead to Sixth Form, Matthew’s plans involve pursuing A-levels in physics, chemistry, biology, and maths, a selection which opens numerous avenues across various industries, from engineering to medical-related fields.