Home   Maidstone   News   Article

Maidstone, Malling, Weald, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells pupils receive 2015 GCSE results

Thousands of pupils across the county are receiving their GCSE results this morning.

We've got a team of reporters at schools across Maidstone, Malling and the Weald and the first results are starting to come in.

Here's a stream of reactions and grades from across the patch.

St Augustine Academy:

Students at St Augustine Academy in Maidstone were queuing outside the school hall early this morning to collect their results.

Taqiyah Mefla impressed with her A* in English achieving full marks in one of her English exams.

Another student, Sophie Beirne, who hopes to be an architect, was also pleased with her results.

Students collected their results at St Augustine Academy in Maidstone
Students collected their results at St Augustine Academy in Maidstone

She said: “My results were a lot better than I expected, I’m really happy.”

Principal, Jason Feldwick congratulated all students on their hard work.

Invicta Grammar School:

The school is celebrating as 100% students achieved five A*-C grades with 62% A* and A. Students achieved 1,236 A*/A grades across the board.

Of all 173 students, 65.3% gained five or more A*/A grades.

Julie Derrick, head teacher, said: "We are exceptionally proud of our students and staff. Their results are testament to their dedication and commitment in a time when we have huge changes in educational reform, with moving grade boundaries and substantially more rigour.

"It is a real pleasure to see so many happy young women excited at their achievements and to be returning to Invicta for the next stage of their life journey. We have been overwhelmed with the recent growth of our Sixth Form and results like this will reinforce numbers once again.

"Putting these results together with our excellent A Level results, makes Invicta the number one choice of secondary school in Maidstone.’

Top performing students include Claire Tipton, who achieved 13 A*/A grades in GCSEs and an A grade in AS Mathematics, which she has taken a year early.

Pratima Gurung, Molly Reeves, Jessica Gladwell, Natalia Nadolska, Rhiannon Thomas, Jessie Hammond, Molly Mackay and Abigail Vant all achieved 12 A*/A grades.

Verity Adams, Phoebe Dow, Emma Collier, Kiera Phillips and Jessica Thornton, who achieved 11 A*/A grades in their GCSEs and an A grade in their AS Level, which they have taken a year early.

Students at Invicta celebrate their results
Students at Invicta celebrate their results

Top performing student, Claire Tipton, said: "I am absolutely thrilled with my results. I cannot believe it. My teachers all said that I would do well, but now it is a reality, I am so excited and proud to be an Invicta student."

Hillview School for Girls:

Staff and pupils are celebrating a year of impressive GCSE results with 80% of students gaining five or more GCSEs at grades A*– C.

Just shy of 70% achieved five or more GCSEs, grades A*– C, including English and Maths, far exceeding the national average figures, whilst 61% achieved the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

Kate Aplin, head of English, was thrilled with 87% of Year 11 students gaining an A*– C grade. She said: “I’m delighted with this fantastic, well-deserved success”.

Alice O'Connor
Alice O'Connor
Fern Egan, Rachael Mills
Fern Egan, Rachael Mills

There were particularly strong results in French, dance, drama, textiles and art and design, where very high percentages of students achieved the top A*–A grades. Music was among the many subjects achieving 100% of A*– C grades.

Head teacher, Elaine Buchanan, said: “Students and teachers have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results and I’m delighted that we have been able to help set them up for their future careers, whatever their chosen path."

Top performers included Leonie Luck, who achieved four A*s and seven A grades, Alice O’Connor and Florence King, both with 10 A*– A grades, Kelsey Sowerby, Ruby Sandell and Rachael Mills, who each achieved nine A*– A grades.

Sutton Valence School:

Four pupils at Sutton Valence School topped the tables, breaking all previous records, as they secure an astounding 43 GCSE A* and A grades between them.

The teenagers will continue their studies at the independent school with the hope of achieving similar success at A level. Emelia Browning, William Grabowski, Sam Gray and Jessica Grindlay all out-performed their predictions, but top in the class was Jessica with 12 A* grades in her GCSE subjects.

Jessica Grindlay, William Grabowski, Emelia Browning Sam Gray celebrate their results at Sutton Valence School
Jessica Grindlay, William Grabowski, Emelia Browning Sam Gray celebrate their results at Sutton Valence School

At the school, 93% of pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades, whereas the national figure is nearer two thirds.

Headmaster, Mr Bruce Grindlay, said: "These results demonstrate the School’s ongoing commitment to promoting academic achievement for all our pupils. We are very pleased with our results, there are success stories across the ability range that show how much improvement can be achieved through focused hard work and determination."

The Malling School:

Pupils at Malling School celebrated more A-A* grades than previous years.

The increase in top grades demonstrates the school's decision to introduce a grammar stream two years ago was the correct one.

Carl Roberts
Carl Roberts

Principal, Carl Roberts, said: "Well done to all of our year 11 pupils who worked so hard to get excellent grades.

"We wish you all the best in the next stage of your education and look forward to seeing many of.you again in year 12."

St Simon Stock Catholic School:

The school has recorded another year of excellent G.C.S.E. results with 67% of the cohort gaining five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths and a pass rate of 98%.

Other impressive scores were made in English and in maths where 87% and 82% respectively made expected level of progress between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4.

Notable performances included Alexander Delvalle, Emma Caulfield, Joseph Abela, Nathan Tuckwell, James Petrie and Rachael McCartan.

Headteacher, Brendan Wall, commented: "I am delighted that the students continued the high achievement for themselves and the School for the fifth consecutive year. Students, staff and parents have worked in partnership to achieve excellent results for first entry."

St Augustine Academy:

Sophie Beirne
Sophie Beirne

Sophie Beirne is celebrating her results after picking them up from St Augustine Academy this morning.

Cornwallis Academy:

Cheers of joy could be heard at Cornwallis Academy, in Hubbards Lane, Linton, as students opened their envelopes to top GCSE grades.

Aisling Hunt achieved an impressive set of results with A*s and As in eight subjects, including biology, chemistry, English language and literature, maths and physics.

Toby Newman and Phoebe Cox both collected six A*s and As; Ashleigh Burr received five; and Joseph White and Zach Stiff both secured three A* and As.

Principal David Simons said: "I am extremely proud of the determination shown by the students and staff to achieve this year's results. Our overall pass rate for five or more GCSEs is 93%.

"I am delighted to say more students than ever have secured a place at our Sixth Form."

New Line Learning Academy:

Months of hard work and determination paid off for students collecting their GCSE results at New Line Learning Academy, in Loose.

Leading the way with excellent grades at the Boughton Lane campus were Cameron Croucher and Shannon Ashby, who each achieved six A*s and As.

Katy Maplesden and twin Adam collected their results
Katy Maplesden and twin Adam collected their results

Laura Valach secured five A*s and As; Emily Morrison received four A*s and As; and Liam Boellitz achieved three A*s and As.

Principal, David Elliott, said: "I am very proud of all of the students and staff who have worked extremely hard to achieve today's results. Overall, 93% of students achieved five or more GCSEs.

"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to my team for their tireless efforts and to the parents for their continued support."

Weald of Kent Grammar School:

An impressive 60% of grades received by students at Weald of Kent Grammar were A* and As.

Head teacher Maureen Johnson praised an “incredible” set of results which had surpassed last year’s achievements.

Overall 95% of pupils gained at least one grade A or above, and more than 70% achieved top grades in five subjects.

Among the high flyers was Alice Fleming who gained 12 A* results and Jenny Burville Riley who achieved 11 A* grades.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls:

At Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 30% of students received at least 10 or more A*/A grades and 66% of candidates received at least five A*/A results.

A spokesman for the school said: "We were delighted with the successes of all our students, particular congratulations go to Emily Saunders and Bethan Gilmore who each achieved at least 12 A*."

Aylesford School - Sports College:

Ellie Morgan is celebrating after achieving 10 GCSEs at A-C grade at Aylesford School - Sports College.

The 16-year-old is going to be reading travel and tourism at Mid Kent College, Maidstone.

She said: "I'm very proud and relieved I got what I need to get into college."

Ellie Morgan
Ellie Morgan

The Judd School:

The Judd School is celebrating its best-ever GCSE results with 55.9% of all entries being graded A*. All 127 students achieved eight A*-C grades, or better, with over 96% achieving five A grades or better.

In subject highlights 107 students gained an A* in Maths and 98 in Biology. An unprecedented 24 of the 42 candidates in Latin achieved an A*.

18 students achieved 10 or more A* grades including Tom Coote, Harry Costello, Tom Donaldson, Guy Durant, Ben Gregson, Luke Ibbotson and Tom James.

Headmaster, Robert Masters, said: “I am delighted to congratulate all our students on their achievements at GCSE, which are a fitting reward for their intelligence and hard work. The overall results hide some tremendous stories of students fighting through adversity to achieve their very best.”

Holmesdale Technology College:

There were tears of joy at Holmesdale Technology College as the school achieved impressive results at GCSE.

Science continues to be a successful subject at the school as 67% achieved a high GCSE in Biology, 63% in Chemistry and 60% in Physics. Business studies also fared well this year with 93% achieving a good GCSE and 100% in PE.

Kelsea Parris
Kelsea Parris

Kelsea Parris stood out with seven A-A*s along with four B grades and a merit in Sports Studies. The 16-year-old sat two GCSE exams last year, and hopes to go on to secure a place at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls to do her A-levels.

She said: “I’m really happy, adding these grades on to the two A grades I got in Chemistry and English Literature last year I’m hoping to go to MGGS and eventually study Medicine at university.”

Principal Julia Campbell said: “I am absolutely delighted for the students and for the teachers who have taught them. The results of many individuals highlight what can really be achieved at Holmesdale. The potential is here and our students just captured that success.”

Kent College Pembury:

Kent College’s Year 11 girls collected their GCSE results to find they had contributed to another year of tremendous achievement.

Following on from last week’s A Level results, the GCSE results were again excellent with 52% of all entries awarded the highest A* and A grades. The independent day and boarding school in Pembury is proud to declare another year of robust performance, with 82% of exams graded A*, A or B, and 96% A* to C, epitomizing the hard work of all the girls and devoted staff.

Outstanding results were seen in all subjects, highlighting excellence across the curriculum. Particular congratulations to the Drama and Latin departments who were thrilled by the attainment this year; 90% of girls were awarded A* or A in Drama, and three quarters of girls achieved an A* in Latin.

Recent years have seen a popular and burgeoning Sixth Form at Kent College and it looks likely to be another bumper year again as this strong cohort of GCSE students springboard to commence their A Level studies. Parents and girls have praised the school for the wide variety of subjects it offers for A level learning, as well as its commitment to tailoring each programme of study to suit girls’ individual needs.

Interim head, Tony Kirk-Burgess, said: “Once again we are delighted with this year’s GCSE results, which represent the hard work of the girls, as well as the support and inspiration provided by a highly-qualified, dedicated team of staff. I am looking forward to seeing the girls blossoming further in our Sixth Form in September.”

Sevenoaks School:

Sevenoaks School is celebrating record-breaking examination results for Year 11.

Over 93% of the examinations taken by the 152 candidates were awarded A* or A grades. 54 students - over a third of the year group - gained 10 A* grades or more each, and 131 students gained nine or more A* or A grades. All but seventeen results out of 1580 examinations were awarded grade B or above.

Star pupil of the school was Adrian Del Ser, who achieved 14 A* grades.

Adrian del Ser
Adrian del Ser

Speaking from the top of a mountain in France, he said: "I am very pleased with my results but am equally delighted by the outstanding result of my year group."

Head teacher, Dr Katy Ricks, said: "These results are excellent, and a superb achievement for both students and teachers. We are delighted that our students start the IB Diploma Programme with such strong qualifications."

Oakwood Park Grammar School:

Students at Oakwood Park Grammar School are celebrating their GSCE results with over one third gaining at least five A*/A grades and an average point score per entry of 10 A grades.

Outstanding performances came from Benjamin Gowers who achieved 12 A* grades and Cameron Gibson who achieved 10 A* and two A grades.

Daniel Inglis, Kamal El Badawi, Benjamin Gowers, Cameron Gibson, Rohan Raju
Daniel Inglis, Kamal El Badawi, Benjamin Gowers, Cameron Gibson, Rohan Raju

Other students gaining A*/A grades in 11 or more subjects included Isaac Bourne, Kamal El Badawi, Jonathan Hook, Daniel Inglis, Neil Langridge, Callum MacGregor, Josiah Mulabi-Kalete, Rohan Raju and Alex Sheppard.

Head teacher, Kevin Moody, said: "I am delighted for our students who have achieved such impressive grades and worked so hard to achieve them.

Maidstone Grammar School:

The school is pleased to announce some excellent GCSE results this year. More than 50% of all subject entries were graded at A* or A grade, 1% higher than last year.

Over 98% of students gained five A* - C grades including Maths and English.

Just under one in every five students gained five or more A* grades, 60% of students gained five or more A*/A grades and 87% of the year group achieved the English Baccalaureate.

Josh Shaw & Joshua Gray
Josh Shaw & Joshua Gray

Samuel Baxter, Max Green, Saurav Parmar, Joshua Shaw and Lewis White gained at least 10 A* grades.

Mark Tomkins, headmaster, said the school is delighted the students have performed so well. He added: "This gives them a solid foundation on which to build in their future studies. We are immensely proud of the achievements of Year 11 which is a result of a combination of hard work by the students and dedicated teaching staff."

Valley Park School:

Students at Valley Park School are celebrating another record breaking set of GCSE results.

Just shy of 60% of students achieved the gold standard of five A*-C passes including English and Mathematics, a 3% increase on the previous high achieved last year.

208 students sat examinations with a 67% A*-C pass rate overall. As a part of a very high achieving year group 13% of grades are at A*and A.

Jodie Russell celebrates at Valley Park
Jodie Russell celebrates at Valley Park

Notable high achievers are Bilson Gurung, Hannah Everest, Nicole Kakel, Josie Edwards, Harry Wheelwright, Stefan Crowhurst and Alexander Roberts who all achieved at least six A* grades.

Head teacher, Vic Ashdown, said: “This is another outstanding set of results that students, parents and staff can be rightly proud of. My congratulations go to them and their families as they move on to the next stage of their education.”

Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys:

Out of 180 students who sat the exams 179 achieved five or more A*-C grades - 99.4% and 19% of all grades were A* with 53% A/A*.

The very highest performers, achieving nine A* and one A grade each, were Rory Baker, Tom Nichol, Adam Sturgeon and Cameron Wenham.

Students at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys receive their results
Students at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys receive their results

Head teacher, John Harrison, said: "I am absolutely delighted with the results, they are in line with our best ever results. Very proud of all the boys and so pleased that they have achieved the results I believe they deserve."

The Skinners' School:

The school is celebrating this morning as students open their GCSE results. Out of 122 who sat the exams 99.1% achieved A* - C grades.

Out of 1412 entries 39.1% received A*. Christian Edwards, Luke Graves, Robert Howey, Frederick Lynam, Jack Moodie, Szymon Motyka, Oliver Nottidge and Samuel Street scored 11 A* grades.

The Skinners' School, Tunbridge Wells. Picture: Google
The Skinners' School, Tunbridge Wells. Picture: Google

High Weald Academy:

Staff and students at The High Weald Academy are celebrating after securing the best ever GCSE results for the academy.

Results were particularly strong in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science with 67%, 74% and 75% receiving A*-C grades respectively.

“These results continue to demonstrate that the work of the students, staff and the wider family of schools in The Brook Learning Trust is paying dividends" - Principal Carrie Beech

Almost 60% of students achieved five or more A*- C GCSE grades overall, including English and mathematics.

Speaking about the results, Principal Carrie Beech, who is also celebrating her first full year of headship at High Weald, said: “We are absolutely thrilled by the achievements of the students this year.

"As a small, rural, non-selective school in a largely selective area, our students have demonstrated fantastic levels of progress across a broad range of abilities.

“These results continue to demonstrate that the work of the students, staff and the wider family of schools in The Brook Learning Trust is paying dividends."

Top performers from the academy included Stephanie Sloman who gained five A* and five A grades and Onawa Skinner who gained five A*, three As and two Bs.

Bethany School:

Bethany School said it is thrilled that pupils have exceeded staff;s expectations and are now well placed to start their A-levels.

Talented musician and linguist Lizzie Stuart obtained eight A* and two A grades, other pupils who secured at least five A*/A grades include Jessie Daubeny, Kelvin Chan, David Coupe, Sam Marshall, Henry Sylow, Adam Wilkinson, George Knight, Hong Li, India Macdonald and Alexander Wareham.

Mrs Knight and George Knight with teacher Miss Nixon
Mrs Knight and George Knight with teacher Miss Nixon
Mrs Wareham with Alex and his brother
Mrs Wareham with Alex and his brother

Francie Healy, Headmaster, said: “I am delighted that the caring and nurturing philosophy of the school is reaping such rich dividends.

"I have always believed that school should be enjoyed rather than endured and that happiness is fundamental to children’s success. I would like to pay particular tribute to the wonderful staff who so willingly encourage and challenge our young people to achieve their very best.

"Despite national press attention querying the value of GCSEs, we at Bethany believe that they provide an excellent opportunity for pupils to learn and enjoy subjects to an appropriate breadth. This in turn encourages pupils to find and follow their passion, be that in the traditionally academic or creative curriculum.”

Hugh Christie Technology College:

The proportion achieving A* to C in English and maths improved 4% to 52%, achieving the best ever outcome on new first entry measure.

The school achieved improvements in GCSE maths with the pass rate improving by 4% and expected progress improving by 5% compared to 2014.

Subjects achieved outstanding outcomes in GCSE art, photography and spanish.

The school said there have also been significant improvements from 2014 across a number of subjects including geography, design and technology and physical education.

Jon Barker, executive principal, said: “Students this year have faced an extremely tough set of examinations and had to work extremely hard. For the first time in many years, courses such as Business Studies and ICT required students to take challenging exams in addition to all the coursework requirements. I am therefore delighted that the majority of students have exceeded expectations. I would like to congratulate all students and staff on their achievements.”

Students of particular note included Ellie King, who achieved 11 GCSEs with five A* and four A grades. Josh Gurr achieved 12 GCSEs including one A* and seven A grades.

The Hayesbrook School:

The school has posted its best ever GCSE results with 60% of students reaching the national five A*-C GCSE grades including English and mathematics with their first entry.

Heading a long list of high achieving students with eight A* and A grades was William Pratt who also added one BTEC Distinction.

Harvey Mountney bagged seven top grades which included English Literature, Mathematics and Chemistry as did Alec Walsh, who managed a hat trick in all three Sciences.

Weighing in with six A and A* grades were Matthew Saunders, Zack Mercer and Callum Glass. There was a high fives for Shafiye Ahmed, William Douch, and Jamie Prescott.

Thousands of students are receiving their results today. Stock image
Thousands of students are receiving their results today. Stock image

Another record for the school was achieving 250 A* and A GCSE grades and BTEC Distinctions. This was more than double the 2014 success rate. In total there were a historic 43 GCSE A* grades, 140 A grades and 322 B grades.

Principal, David Day, said “This is a historic day for Hayesbrook. On such record breaking occasions praise is due to not just our high achieving A graders, but also to those boys who worked so hard and have been rewarded today with a piece of paper saying they have a B or a C grade.

"These results have opened doors for our students who can walk tall into the Sixth Form and begin to seek out future high performing careers.

"It is a proud day for our parents too who have been superb in the support they have given to their sons. None of this would have been possible without our fantastic teachers who worked their socks off. I am so proud of everyone at Hayesbrook”.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More