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Local teens whose studies were disrupted by two years of covid adjustments were praised for their "energy", "ambition" and "remarkable perseverance" as they collected their GCSE results today.
Overall analysis of pass rates were announced by the Education Department this afternoon, and Education Minister Inna Gardiner congratulated the students.
She said: "Every one of you should be proud of your own individual journey and your personal achievements.
"Today marks the end of one phase of our young people's education, but for many it is also the start of exciting new opportunities, whether that be moving on to further study or starting an apprenticeship."
Students in Jersey achieved overall results that were better than their English counterparts, with 73.7% of GCSE/IGCSEs graded at 4-9 (or C and above), and 24.7% at the highest grades 7- 9 (or A/A*). In England, 67.8% of GCSE/IGCSEs were graded at 4-9 (or C and above), and 21.6% at the highest grades 7-9 (or A/A*).
Pictured: the full breakdown of GCSE results in Jersey compared to the UK.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, pass rates fell for the second year running. UK results, excepting Scotland where students do not take GCSEs, signified a move towards 2019 – the last year that exams were sat before covid.
Grades spiked in 2020 and 2021 across the UK when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers’ assessments, before falling to 73% for grade 4 and above in 2022.
Anne Longfield, Chairman of the Commission on Young Lives and former children’s commissioner for England said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that returning to 2019 grading in England was "ill-judged and unfair".
She said: “This year’s GCSE students have experienced disruption in their education for over half of their time in secondary school.
“30% of children in year 11 have been persistently absent – this is driven in part by increasing levels of poor mental health and high levels of anxiety."
UK Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “Recovery from the pandemic will take time but ensuring children are in school and maintaining the integrity of our exams system so that universities, employers and young people can rely on it is vital.”
"What an amazing group of students! Since joining us at 14, these Hautlians have impressed us in every way – their energy, ambition and willingness to make the school and their local community better has been inspiring. So, it is all the more rewarding to see the fabulous grades they have achieved today," said Headteacher Nick Falle.
"After two years of covid adjustments, these students had to face exams as normal despite having significant disruptions to their schooling in their earlier and formative years.
"In this context we salute their near record outcomes in terms of GCSE passes including English and Maths at grades 9 to 4 and the more challenging benchmark of grades 9 to 5, along with superb numbers obtaining the very highest grades at 9 to 7.
"We also celebrate the relentless dedication of parents and teachers in supporting these students with their wonderful achievements."
Carl Howarth, Principal, commented: “We are so proud of our students, their character, fortitude and now academic excellence. They have had to contend with so much over the past few years and today has shown the remarkable perseverance they possess and the togetherness they share.
“We have learnt so much from them and with them. There has been much speculation in the media about the reduction this year of the top grades so to put their stellar academic achievements in context, 63% of all grades were at the very top grade 9 - 7 band, with 93% grades 9 - 5 and an overall pass rate of 98%.
"This level of excellence is down to the persistence of our students, the care and excellent teaching of our staff and the love, support and patience of their families.”
11% of all examinations taken resulted in a Grade 9 at Beaulieu, which the school said was almost double the number of top grades achieved in 2019, when students were last able to sit GCSE exams in full. 85% of all students achieved five or more GCSEs at Grades 9-4.
Paul Robinson, Acting Headteacher, said: "I am delighted that our students' determination and hard work have been rewarded with another strong set of examination results today. They should be very proud of all they have achieved through their ongoing efforts.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for the constant guidance, assistance and dedication they have offered our students throughout their learning journey and also our students' parents, for their ongoing support."
De La Salle were celebrating what they described as "the best set of results in the College's 107-year history".
"In every one of our key measures of performance, we have achieved or exceeded our targets for this cohort, (who are the first in three years to have no COVID mitigation measures in place)," Headteacher Jason Turner said.
"100% of our students gained a GCSE pass in at least five of their subjects. 93% of our students achieved 9-4 grades in at least five of their subjects.
"In the Gold standard (that is five 9-4 grades including English and Maths at grade 4 or higher) our performance was 88%. For a school that does not academically select its students, these figures are outstanding.
"I would like to congratulate all the boys who achieved their personal bests and many of whom exceeded them."
The school said it was "lovely to celebrate great GCSE results", which saw its students achieve on average over three quarters of a grade higher across all subjects compared to expectations.
25% of students attained an average of at least a Grade 7 across their whole GCSE profile, the school said, and a quarter of all results obtained were at the very highest levels – Grades 8 or 9. 93% of grades awarded were 9 to 4.
Headteacher, Dr Gareth Hughes said: "I am proud of our Year 11 students today as they receive their GCSE grades. Our boys have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results and displayed real resilience in overcoming a number of challenges as individuals and as a year group. Huge thanks go to the staff that guided the students brilliantly through their courses, and to our fantastic parental body that have supported so well. We look forward to welcoming many of the cohort back to join our Sixth Form, and we wish those heading off to explore new opportunities the very best for the future."
Headteacher Andrew Adkin said: "...We are very proud of the students and their amazing achievements. This cohort have seen four years of disruption, with local teacher strikes in in 2018 followed by covid. Their journey through secondary education has been far from 'normal', so to sit exams with 'normal' grade boundaries and to achieve as well as they have shows that this group of students have resilience, perseverance, and real determination to succeed. My colleagues and I are proud of every single one of them and I would like to thank my colleagues for all their hard work over the years.
"This morning was quite emotional in school as students opened their envelopes and were delighted to secure places at Highlands, Hautlieu, the Colleges or employment. It was lovely to see students arrive with their families who have played a significant role in supporting them through their time at Le Rocquier."
He added: "Due to the hard work of our students and staff, the provisional results in English exceeded our CYPES set target by nearly 15 percentile points and Maths by nearly 8 percentile points. 5 of our Option Subjects achieved pass rates of over 90%, with some achieving a marvellous 100% pass rate. Many others have surpassed expectation as well.
"A big well done to all our students and best wishes to all of them."
"It was amazing to see lots of smiling faces in school this morning, as students and their parents/guardians came in to collect GCSE results. We have had another set of fantastic results," said Headteacher Stuart Hughes.
"We are all extremely proud of the Class of 2023. It is now time for you to go out into the world, to spread your wings and achieve your dreams!"
Les Quennevais praised its students for a "stunning set of GCSE results" on social media, stating that students had outperformed national trends.
"Congratulations to them, their parents and our fantastic staff," the school added.
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