Boys at Bedford School are celebrating another excellent set of GCSE results today. Almost half of all examinations were at grades 8 and 9 (A* equivalent), and two-thirds at grades 7 to 9 (A*/A equivalent). A record 23% of all grades were grade 9, the highest possible grade, with eighteen boys achieving a sweep of eight or more grade 9s.
Acting Head Master, Mr Sam Baldock, said, “Congratulations to all the boys on their superb results today and an extraordinary year full of sporting and creative successes for this year group. Seeing so many happy faces sharing their results with friends, family, and teachers this morning was a delight. The boys’ results are a credit to their grit and drive, their strong support for each other, and all the care and guidance from their families and teachers. There has been a real buzz of excitement this morning with boys discussing the different A-level and IB subjects they will begin in the Sixth Form, as well as our new courses in Sport & Exercise Science and Enterprise & Entrepreneurship – all alongside our core Sixth Form programme of research skills, community partnerships, and our unique leadership courses.”
Sam McMurran feels “really relieved” and “happy” after putting significant effort into achieving eleven 9s. Sam, who also received an A* in A-Level in Maths last week, taken two years early, told us it took a great deal of discipline to manage the many subjects and maximise his efforts, alongside a busy schedule of music rehearsals and preparation for the Schools’ Challenge General Knowledge national finals. He is grateful for the directed further reading he received from his humanities teachers and believes it helped his grades by allowing him to look at questions from a different angle. Sam is studying Further Maths, Economics, Politics and History at A-Level and is excited to see where they will take him.
Ethan Clifford also undertook eleven examinations, including Further Mathematics, and achieved 9s across the board. Ethan credits the support he received from his teachers in achieving his incredible results, saying, “My teachers were so beneficial when helping me revise in the build-up to exam leave.” Ethan will study Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Latin at A-Level and looks forward to expanding his experience and knowledge by joining the various Sixth Form societies and activities.
Fraser Morgan is “chuffed to bits, especially with subjects where I didn’t expect 9s.” Fraser added eleven grade 9s his grade 9 in French, which he took a year early. He told us, “I’ve had some really excellent teachers who have given me the freedom to push beyond the curriculum and enjoy myself; others have been really supportive in encouraging me in my weaker areas.” Fraser has also managed a busy schedule of music, Fives, and preparing for the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition national finals. Fraser is taking the IB next year and will study English, French, German, Computer Science, Maths and Philosophy. He hopes to study languages and linguistics at university and feels his courses give a nice framework to work towards such a broad field.
Akram El Gabour is “over the moon” after gaining nine 9s and one 8. Keeping up with all the content on ten different subjects and handling the workload was a challenge, but he clearly succeeded. Being able to always contact his teachers for support was hugely helpful, and Akram took full advantage of all the revision and contact opportunities in the run up to study leave. Akram is studying Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Economics A-level at Sixth Form and hopes to read either Economics or a medical-based degree at university afterwards.
Tristan Cooper is “very happy” after achieving higher grades than expected, with ten grade 9s at GCSE. Computer Science was a challenge for Tristan after it proved a little more difficult than he expected. Still, thanks to support from his teachers after lessons who ran through pure coding practice one-on-one, worked through past questions step-by-step with him and helped him to hone his exam technique, he achieved the top grade. Tristan looks forward to studying the IB in the Sixth Form and has his sights set on the top universities.
Eeshan Agrawal achieved ten grade 9s and is “very happy and pleased that all the hard work paid off”. Keeping disciplined over a long period was a challenge. Still, one he is pleased he stuck with. Eeshan praised the support he received from teachers during his GCSEs, saying, “All the teachers provided a lot of resources to help me, and their teaching helped me massively to achieve these results.” He will study Maths, Further Maths, Economics and French at A-Level, and hopes to go on to read Economics at university.
Harry L’Estrange was “incredibly happy” with his results after achieving eight grade 9s and one grade 8. His results are all the more impressive when you know that Harry did a sizable amount of his revision over Easter in hospital. However, he credits the time he put into revising for his success, especially in the subjects where he felt less confident. He told us, “All of my teachers were incredibly clear and patient with us during the entire [GCSE] course and offered support whenever we needed it. I am incredibly grateful to the work the teachers put in to get us all to this day.” A brilliant musician, Harry plans to study Music at A-level alongside Art, English Literature and French. He hopes to have a career in music after reading the subject at university.
Ansel Chan was “ecstatic” to discover he’d achieved eleven grade 9s at GCSE. “I am very thankful for my amazing teachers who are dedicated to helping me get the best results possible. In addition, the school also provides a rich library of resources, which came in handy in my revision.” Ansel has chosen to keep his options open by studying the IB in the Sixth Form
Boarder, Jacob Yau, gained six grade 9s and 4 grade 8s at GCSE. He found English and Spanish the most significant challenges. Jacob explained, “My first language is not English, but English as a Second Language (ESL) lessons in my first year and coursework clinics helped me to improve.” Jacob is studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science at A-Level and hopes to be a programmer. “Coding is very logical, and I’m a logical person, so it suits me very well.”
Johnny Hall is, “very, very, happy and proud’ of his results after gaining ten grade 9s and one grade 8 GCSE. He commented about his revision, “The huge sets of resources online were brilliant, and I used quite a lot of them, and the resources that the teachers recommended were really good and helpful.” Johnny plans to take the IB in Sixth Form and study Chemistry, Economics and Maths at Higher Level, and English, DT and German at Standard Level.
Sam Gray, who achieved eight grade 9s and two 8s, is elated at gaining higher grades than he had expected. Whilst at home with logical thinking, Sam found learning the many facts and figures needed in certain subjects challenging. However, revision classes, such as Mr Armstrong’s Friday lunchtime revision class on subject papers 1 and 3, proved incredibly useful. Starting in September, Sam is studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A-Level and would like to go on to read Physics at university and become a physicist. He explains, “Physics is very creative; you can figure out what’s going on in the world around you and have lots of different views on it.”
