OKEHAMPTON College has recorded its best ever GCSE and Key Stage 3 results following the publication of exam results last Thursday. Principal Daryll Chapman said he was delighted that the percentage of students gaining five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade had risen from 57 percent last year to 63 percent. Mr Chapman said: ?There have been some phenomenal individual performances and we are really pleased about that.? He said despite the overall rise in grades, in core subjects students had not performed as well as last year. ?We didn?t get as many youngsters passing both English and maths, but that gives us a real focus and drive for next year to improve,? he said. Mr Chapman said the college would have to monitor students even more closely next year to try to ensure that those who were doing well in English were not sacrificing success in maths or vice versa. Mr Chapman said the college would probably have its largest sixth form intake yet next month. ?With these type of results, many of the students should find they have a good stepping stone into the sixth form,? he said. And at Key Stage 3 level, the results in English followed the trend set in maths and science, with the best pass rate in the history of the college, with 85 percent of students achieving level five or higher. Among the smiling faces picking up results at the college was Ava Osbiston, from Chagford, who recorded seven A* grades and four As. Ava said: ?I am really, really happy with all of my grades. In the last few days, I have been saying I hope I get at least one A*, but this is more than I ever expected.? Ava will now be staying on at Okehampton, taking art, drama, English literature and maths. Another student who was surprised but happy with the grades he got was James Kelly from Okehampton. James gained three A*s, six As and one B. James said he had been very surprised when he opened his results envelope and saw how well he had done. Next term, he will be studying biology, chemistry, maths and English literature in the sixth form at the College. Also joining the sixth form will be Bob Peters from Hatherleigh. Bob got three As in English literature, English language and drama. He said: ?It has been good because I got my best grades in the subjects I?m going to do in the sixth form ? English literature and language and drama.? He has also achieved the grade needed to take history at A-level too. Twins Jessica and Natasha Day enjoyed double success. Jessica got five A*s and five As, and Natasha got seven A*s and three As. Other students from the Okehampton area who attained exceptional results included Stacey Balsdon, six A*s and three As; Lois Garwood, four A*s, four As and a B; Sean Hampson, seven As and two Bs; Lucy Harriades, six A*s and four As; Lewis Kylie, two A*s, four As and four Bs; Katie Malseed, six A*s and four As and Jessica Squire, five A*s and six As. There was plenty to be satisfied about across the technology subjects, with a third of students in the GCSE graphics class gaining A*s. Foreign languages also showed good improvements, with 72 percent of candidates in French getting an A-C grade. Only seven students were in the GCSE German group, but three of those gained A*s. l SHEBBEAR College was extremely proud of its students? performance in this year?s GCSE examinations. Headmaster Bob Barnes was delighted to report that 90 percent of pupils gained at least five passes at grades A*-C, far superior to the national average. Mr Barnes said: ?Such an achievement reflects highly upon the commitment of staff and the industrious, enthusiastic approach of pupils.? He also noted Shebbear?s pass rate of 38 percent at A* and A grades, double the national average. Three pupils ? Sophie Buist, Ruth Hillier and Suzie McGeorge ? gained at least eleven GCSEs at these grades. Talented Year 7 pupil Sam Cappleman-Lynes sat his Mathematics GCSE four years early and gained an A*.
