Headteacher Andy Burton said “It is of course hugely pleasing to see the hard work of pupils and staff rewarded in today’s Level 2 GCSE and Vocational results.  Nevertheless we must not forget the challenging circumstances this cohort has been through; their schooling has been significantly disrupted by the pandemic, there have been strike days and extra bank holidays in the run-up to their exams, and they have had to contend with unhelpful and unfair messages coming from the government about grades being lower this year, especially in England, regardless of how well they performed in the exam hall.  Their resilience is exemplary, and I think we should all congratulate them for coping so well despite the obstacles and difficulties put in their path.  Indeed, several pupils, still suffering with anxiety and mental health difficulties following the pandemic and who were unable to attend school regularly, still managed to sit many of their exams and so go on to gain some qualifications.

Holistically it is extremely difficult and fraught with imprecision to try and make comparisons and judgements at this early stage, but we are expecting our results to be in line with expectations and compare favourably against the national cohort.  Headline predictions indicate that half the cohort achieved a ‘strong pass’ (level 5 or better) in both English and Maths, with almost three quarters achieving a ‘standard pass’ (level 4 or better) in both English and Maths.  However, and particularly for this group of young people whose education has been so unsettled, it is more important that pupils have gained the grades necessary to progress onto their first choice pathway, be that Ousedale’s 6^th Form, college or indeed another local 6^th Form.  Early indications show that a similar number of pupils have achieved the grades necessary to join our 6th Form in comparison to last year which was a record year for enrolments.  For those that have not achieved what they hoped and worked for then our team of staff will be on hand today and tomorrow to provide advice, guidance and assistance.

Congratulations to all our Year 11 pupils.  I hope to see many of them in our 6^th Form in September, and to those travelling further afield I wish them nothing but success and happiness for the future.”

Overall headline figures include:

• Overall attainment figures remain better than the 2019 national cohort (the last cohort taking exams unaffected by the pandemic)
• Early indications show that pupils at Ousedale progress at least as well as similar pupils nationally
• Half the cohort achieved a strong pass (level 5 or better) in both English and Maths
• Almost three quarters of the cohort achieved a standard pass (level 4 or better) in both English and Maths
• Large numbers of pupils have achieved the grades necessary to join our 6^th Form meaning September’s Year 12 is likely to be circa 200+ pupils.