Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford GCSE results: Here are the latest updates from local schools

Eastbourne College:

Eastbourne College is celebrating again today (Thursday, August 24) as pupils receive their GCSE results, with the proportion of grades achieved at 7, 8 or 9 (equivalent to A or A*) at 57 per cent – an improvement on grades achieved at this level in 2019 and the school’s best performance by this measure since 2017, excluding the Covid-affected years.

More than a third of all grades were 9 or 8 – equivalent to an A* under the previous grading system.

A spokesperson from the school said: “It comes after predictions that the number of top grades awarded nationally would fall significantly this year, and this year’s excellent results shows pupils’ resilience in coping with tough exam conditions."

Eighteen pupils achieved a clean sweep of GCSE results with every subject awarded at grade 7-9 - equivalent to straight A grades in all subjects.

The spokesperson added: “Some of the highest grades were achieved in modern languages, bucking the national decline in pupils committing to language learning, 66 per cent of all grades across modern languages were the top grade of 9. History saw more than half its grades awarded at 8 or 9 and 85 per cent of grades across the three separate sciences were 7, 8 or 9. Ninety per cent of grades awarded to pupils taking early GCSEs in Years 9 and 10 were awarded at grade 9.”

Headmaster Tom Lawson said: “This year we had a bumper number of exam entries at 1,257 - up a quarter on the last two years – which demonstrates the college’s growing popularity and the breadth of subjects we offer at GCSE.

“This year’s cohort has shown great resilience in the face of significant challenges and disruption. The pandemic was in full swing as they were selecting their options and starting to prepare for their GCSEs.

“We are very proud of our pupils’ academic success – just as we are proud of all their achievements outside the classroom. This year’s results come off the back of a superb season for tennis and cricket, with our players securing county and national wins, plus national arts awards for our design talent.”

Seaford Head School:

Students at Seaford Head School are once again celebrating excellent GCSE results.

Headteacher Bob Ellis said: “I am so proud of this group of young people. Their education was disrupted the most by the pandemic, as after the lockdowns they were restricted to a zone within the school as they started their GCSEs. The way that they have overcome these challenges and pulled together as a group is truly inspirational. I would also like to thank our fantastic staff. These results and the staggering A-Level results from last week highlight how their efforts make a huge difference to our young people’s life chances.”

With three out of four students achieving a grade 4 in both English and maths, and more than 95 per cent of students achieving five GCSE grades, the whole cohort is celebrating.

Top individual achievers include Elias Webber, Taylor Collins, Amelie Procter and Sidney Brooks who secured 32 grade 9s between them.

Jago Mather, Edward Moakes, Taylor Collins and Harry Burch also secured 11 GCSEs at grades 7-9 whilst Xin Shi, Logan Rutherford and Olivia Ruckes are celebrating making the most academic progress since joining the school.

Head of year for the group Bess Novitt said: “It has been such a positive outcome following the journey for this year group and I loved being their head of year. They have been so determined and been fantastically supported by their parents and carers. Before today, my proudest moment had been seeing the year group come together for the celebration at the school prom, but this surpasses that. They have worked so hard to secure the outcomes that will see them onto the next stage of their education and they fully deserve the golden future that awaits them.”

Amelie Procter, who secured nine GCSEs at grade 9 and will be studying French, psychology and English at Seaford Head Sixth Form, added: “I am so happy today and I can’t wait to get started on my A-Levels. I heard that four students from Seaford made it to Oxford this year and that is a pathway that I would like to follow.”

Bede's Senior School:

Bede's Senior School said its pupil’s had ‘exceptional success’ in this year's GCSE results, with an improvement from its pre-pandemic results of 2019.

Scout Allen from Brighton and Rafe Coetser from Forest Row gained 12 and 10 GCSEs respectively, including nine results at grade 9 level. Amelia Burden from Buxted gained 13 GCSEs, including nine results at grades 9-8.

Other achievements of note include Anna Scott from Haywards Heath who gained 10 GCSEs including seven at the very top grade, Megan Lilley from Laughton who gained 11 GCSEs including eight at grades 8-9, Delphi Callen Dickens from Seaford who gained 10 grades at 9-8 level, and Josh Ting from Hong Kong who gained nine GCSEs including seven at grades 9-8.

Deputy head John Tuson said: “It is such a delight to be able to congratulate those who have scored massively well across the board - with a third of all pupils gaining five or more grades at 9-7 (the equivalent of A*-A) there are so many real success stories. But as always this is only part of the picture, and the success of young people cannot always be seen from such headline figures. For many this year, those who have achieved fewer GCSEs, or maybe less obviously spectacular grades, their results still represent an absolute triumph.”

Headmaster Peter Goodyer added: “By tailoring education to individual strengths, fostering critical thinking, and instilling a lifelong love for learning, our teachers have empowered pupils to exceed their potential and these results are testament to that. I could not be more proud of our pupils' achievements and of the well-rounded young people that they have become.”

Ratton School:

Headteacher Mr Peevers said: “We are immensely proud of all our Year 11 students at Ratton School who have sat GCSEs this year, and it is fantastic to share in their collective success after the challenges they faced due to the pandemic in their earlier years with us. They have shown resilience and tenacity in meeting this challenge. This year group have done incredibly well to beat our 2019 GCSE results in maths and English as GCSE exams return to 2019 pre-pandemic grading.

"We would like to highlight some of our top attainers who scored the highest grades across a range of subjects, including James Tanner, Ethan Cheung, Daniel Bainbridge, Alexander Nachon-Harris, Lucas Taylor, Ila Edwards, Amelie Carbonell-Ferrer and Ralph Tomkinson.

"Isabel Rodrigues, Emeline Hutchison, Harry Driver and Elise Hewlett were among the students who had made the most progress from their starting points in Year 7 to their results today.

“We wish all students good luck in the next stage of their journey beyond Ratton School and look forward to hearing all about their future success. Good luck – we shall miss you all!”

Ratton also thanked its staff and, in particular, exams officer Mrs Hankin.

Cavendish School:

The school said 74 per cent of its pupils achieved a Grade 4 or higher in both English and maths.

Headteacher Peter Marchant said: “The grades that our pupils have achieved are a reflection of their hard work and the resilience they have shown throughout their time at the school. They can rightly feel proud of what they have achieved. They can look forward to the next stage of their education and we wish them well for the future.

“A large number of pupils achieved very strong grades and made great progress but a special mention goes to Sathana R, Bella P, Isobel T, Finn P, Fintan P and Aahyan G who performed exceptionally across a range of subjects.”

The Eastbourne Academy:

A spokesperson from the school said: “We are extremely proud of the hard work our students put in over their five years at the Eastbourne Academy and are delighted they have been rewarded for their efforts. This year was particularly difficult for students across England to achieve the top grades so I would like to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the following students, who not only achieved grade 9’s or Distinctions in one of more subject areas, but also the highest grades in the Academy: Charlotte Bianciardi, Christina Briones, Abdul- Waheed Khan, Chelsea Wilkinson, Alessandro Ghio, Alex Rodriges, Dibran Miha, Dylan Ferreiro, Javier Bonez Saltos and Funda Aslan.

“A special mention also to the following students who achieved far higher than their target grades: Alfie Sculthorpe-Henderson, Lewis Dowthwaite, Christina Briones, Phoenix Treherne, Nazneen Besmel, Bushraa Shams, Dibran Miha, Vasi Bozhkova, Alfie Bonner and Abdul- Waheed Khan.”

Gildredge House:

The school said 25 per cent of all grades awarded were between 7-9 with languages and the sciences performing particularly well with the highest number of Grade 9s.

A school spokesperson added: “There have been some incredible individual achievements and we would like to recognise Jamie M, who achieved seven Grade 9s, and Catherine W, who achieved on average two grades above expected in all subjects. Special mentions must also go to Kitty H, Rose M, Ameen A, Charlie E-S, George P, Tom L, Erin B and Grace M.”

Executive head teacher Craig Bull said: “We are immensely proud of all our students for their achievements today and for the young people they have become while on their journey at Gildredge House. These students are one of the year groups that have been most affected by the pandemic, and to come out with these results highlights their perseverance and determination to succeed. I would also like to thank the dedicated team at Gildredge House for their support of our students.”

Hailsham Community College:

A number of subjects performed particularly well including art, dance and music, according to the school.

Year 11 student Naomi Willoughby made outstanding progress and achieved Grade 9’s in English, maths and science.

She said: “Teachers have been passionate and inspiring throughout my time at Hailsham. I know many of my peers will join me in thanking them for their support and for encouraging us to be the best we can be.”

HCC’s highest achieving students also included Miriam Graham, Wesley Dye, Jacob Norris and George Brown, who each secured excellent grades across all of their subjects. Sophie Cable, Alex Chant, James Stone, Harrison Haffenden and Freddie Jack were also recognised for making the most progress within their year group.

Head of school Natalie Chamberlain said: “Credit must go to all of our students for the effort and resilience they have demonstrated over the last five years in pursuit of the best grades possible. We are very proud of our Year 11 cohort and are delighted that we will be continuing to support many of them as they join our Sixth Form this September.”

St Catherine's College:

The school said English and maths both had grade 9-4 pass rates of more than 70 per cent.

A spokesperson from the school added: “The school is proud to report rising results, with all the key GCSE measures improved when compared to 2019; the pre-Covid benchmark which has been used nationally in this year’s grading. There is strength in depth too, with a number of subjects exceeding a 90 per cent pass rate. These include biology, chemistry and physics; art and drama; motor vehicle and early years. Modern languages also performed strongly with French and Spanish pass rates of over 80 per cent. A number of other subjects also performed exceptionally well.”

Headteacher Solomon Berhane congratulated all the pupils and staff while giving a special mention to Millie Barrett who achieved nine Grade 9s, as well as to also to Caedmon Myeni, Samuel Smedley, Isabelle Lynch, Alysia Evans, Daniella Berhane, Cameron Clarke, Lily Wenham, Isaac Long, Vicky Tsim, Milosz Grabowski, Lauren Didsbury and Amberley Connor who all achieved eight or more of the top 7-9 grades.

The Turing School:

Headteacher Sarah Doyle said: “At The Turing School we are incredibly proud of our Year 11 students, their hard work, resilience and their achievements. They approached their exams with maturity and determination and despite much disruption to their education over the years their attitude towards succeeding was simply impressive. As a result of the students' hard work, every student is placed at college or in an apprenticeship which is so important for them in this challenging climate.

“Students that did particularly well across a variety of subjects were Mellissa Nielsen-Williams, Emily Green, Alfie Walker, Hannah Williams, Rhys Hendy and Ysabelle Laureles, and we are so proud of all of their achievements.

“Both students and staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure they achieved the results they need to move onto their next stage in their academic careers. As a school we are wholly impressed with all of their success and resilience over their five years with us and we couldn't be prouder of their achievements. We wish them every success for the future.”

Willingdon Community School:

The school said students achieved another superb set of results and they should be exceptionally proud of their achievements.

Ella Horne received seven Grade 9s and Max Nightingale achieved an average three grades above expected progress. Other notable student successes included Madeleine Ritchie, Oliver Witts, Evan McKee, Ella Prophet and Chloe Haizelden.

Headteacher Emily May said: “We are so proud of our students for these brilliant results. This year group epitomised personal excellence in their approach to the exams and we would like to credit our parents/carers who do so much to support our community. We are also celebrating our recent excellent Ofsted report which evidences the immense strengths of our school. As the July Ofsted report details; the school has high expectations of pupils and a strong focus on celebration and praise.”

East Sussex County Council:

Lead member for education and inclusion, special educational needs and disability at East Sussex County Council Bob Standley said: “Our young people have worked hard to ensure that they were well prepared for their examinations and this is reflected in the results that they have received today.

“It’s wonderful to see the achievement of our students in East Sussex and it’s a huge credit to their hard work and dedication to their studies.

“I’d like to thank their parents and carers, teachers, school governors and support staff for playing such a vital role in helping our young people achieve their results today.

“The commitment shown by students across East Sussex will provide them with a solid foundation on which to continue their studies and build their future careers. I'd like to wish them the best of luck in the future.”

Cllr Standley added: “Coming out of the pandemic we are aware of increased numbers of children and young people experiencing difficulties with emotional wellbeing and mental health. Support is available to those who may be struggling, including perhaps in some cases as a response to exam results and next steps. I would encourage people to seek help if they need to.”

Schools in the area also received their A-level results last week.