Having taken a little time to recover from the excitement, celebrations, reflections and emotions of last week's results day for our Year 13s, I thought it appropriate to share a few headlines of their success.

It feels a little simplistic to reduce the achievements of 230 people down to some statistics, when it has been such an exceptional period of time for them all, but I know that many will be interested to know some key comparators:

• more than a quarter (28%) of all grades awarded at A*
• almost half of all students (46.5%) achieving 3 A grades or better, with 40% of students having all their grades at A*/A
• 26 students achieving all A* grades
• more than two thirds (69%) are successfully placed at their firm choice University
• almost 90% of students have secured places at university, with several more still negotiating their place!

This year group's experience has been like no other. Of course, their GCSE year was cut short, so these exams were their first experience of the high pressure, high stakes exam season, with everything to play for. Year 12 was far from normal too, having to adapt to remote learning without the secure base of having consolidated their GCSE knowledge in the usual fashion.

Despite this, with a few bumps in the road of course, they approached the exams this summer with good grace, good heart and exceptional courage. Their experience will have undoubtedly equipped them with skills and resilience like no other year group. They are so much more than the grades in their envelopes, they should be immensely proud of what they have achieved, we certainly are!

I look forward to seeing them all soon, be it at our celebration and prize giving event - Skinners' Day - on the 8th September (to which I encourage those not yet attending to do so) or in the future at a Juddment Day, OJ event or similar.

I wish all our leavers good luck in the next stage in their lives and know that we will always be thinking of you and are here to support you still.

Best wishes all,

Jon Wood
Headteacher