Many students achieved highly but of particular note were Daniel Tafelski, achieving nine A* and two A grades; Kelly Kim and Yung Lo, each achieving nine A* and one A grade; Anne Zimmer, achieving five A* and five A grades; Meagan Tan, achieving six A* and three A grades; and Megan Edwards, achieving five A* and three A grades. More impressive is the fact that each one of these students have also managed to contribute highly to school life outside of the classroom by being members of our highly competitive sports teams or performing on stage in our wonderful Drama productions.
Each one of these students credits their success to a combination of consistent hard work, positive mindset and the support of skilled staff who have pushed and monitored them closely over the last 2 years of their IGCSE courses. When asked to share their top tips for success with the current Year 10 and Year 11 students, they stressed the importance of starting your revision early and setting up good study routines. They highlighted the need to listen and take on board the teacher guidance about exam techniques for the different subjects and also about the value of practising using past exam papers. Most importantly they flagged the challenge and importance of learning to balance your social and academic lives – accepting that you can’t always do everything and you have to learn to prioritise.
As a school we strive to be ambitious for all our students and so are already working hard with our new IGCSE groups to ensure they get off to a positive start with their studies. Excellent teaching will drive student success but we also know that the greatest success will be achieved when students are intrinsically motivated and have a positive mindset. So, in addition to skilled subject teaching, students will also be supported to develop their mental toughness and to be fully engaged in their learning journey.
Congratulations to all our IGCSE graduates. We know you are now well prepared and will build on your success to rise to the challenges of the IB Diploma course in Years 12 and 13.
Niki Meehan, Vice Principal