THIS year saw some of the best GCSE results Queen Elizabeth’s Academy has ever had when pupils picked up their results envelopes at the school last Thursday.

Principal , Rupert Poole, said: “We are very proud of the achievements of our young people who have worked so hard.

“Today is all about them and their chance to relax and reflect on their achievements. They have worked very hard to achieve these results.”

Rupert went on to say: “Our curriculum is built around making sure all our students achieve success across a broad range of academic subjects – the subjects called the EBacc (English Baccalaureate).

“This year 28 per cent of our students achieved A* to C grades in these subjects against a national average in 2014 of 22 per cent. “

Rupert added that the school had celebrated “a bumper crop with some of the best sets of GCSE results the school has ever seen among the 261 year 11 students who received their GCSE results.”

He said that Dan Ley was the school’s top performer with “an astonishing” 13 GCSE’s at A*.

Hot on his heels was Alana Marshall with 12A* and 1 A grade”. Rupert added: “We are working on an analysis of the grades, but it looks as if this is the highest ever number of A* grades achieved by our students, which is a stunning achievement for them given the ever more stringent marking of the exam papers.”

Some of the highest grades were achieved by: Erica Cann 11A*, one A; Harriet Wood 10A*, two A; Sam Hatchell nine A*, five A; Brittany Willis seven A*, five A; Adam Edwards six A*, four A, two B; Charlie Rose five A*, six A, one B; Isaac Lee five A*, one D*, two A, two B, one C; Robert Guthrie five A*, six A, one B; Jo Sandom five A*, five A, two B; Meera Dackombe four A*, eight A, two 2B; Sophie Bailey three A*, nine A, one B; Nathaniel Ashley three A*,eight A, one B and Louise Putt four A*, six A, two B, one C.

Adam Box, Year Team Leader for year 11 said: “These students, like many others, have not just pursued academic excellence, but have also got fully involved in all our extra curricular activities, such as Drama and music productions, Ten Tors, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Sport – essential elements in the holistic education that we believe in so strongly here at QE.”