GCSE results 2021: Lewes Old Grammar School ‘delighted’ at students’ success

Of the grades achieved by the cohort at the independent school, 54 per cent were awarded at 7 to 9, and 98 per cent of grades were passes.

For 2021, teacher-assessed grades were used to determine results based on a range of evidence after the government announced the cancellation of exams in January.

Mr Blewitt said: “These young people astound me. One minute they are 11-year-olds feeling their way around secondary school for the first time and the next they are maturely and sensibly tackling their GCSE work in the face of horrendous disruption and worldwide chaos.

“And yet they still manage to perform brilliantly and that makes me nothing short of delighted at their success. My message to them, and all Year 11s today, is don’t listen to commentators grinding out criticisms about the way pupils were assessed this year, instead congratulate yourselves on the end of a really long and challenging path.”

Among those receiving results today was Aidan Ashcroft, from Lewes, who has chronic fatigue syndrome.

He received a 9, four 8s, a 7, a 6, and a 5.

Aidan said: “My condition means anything I do, like get the train and go into town, can be a bit exhausting and it takes me ages to recover, so managing to get these grades feels like a real achievement.

“I’ve struggled to be in school all day, every day so the school have been amazing and only asked me to come in for certain key lessons. They’ve really helped me work around it.”

Dylan Ford achieved seven 9s, two 8s and a 7. Dylan, who has a father with an immunosuppressive condition, said he had to be ‘more careful’ about mixing with schoolmates during the pandemic.

He said: “I guess I have had to be more careful than many people but the school and my mates understood that and have been brilliant.

“I also struggled with motivation during online learning when the whole pandemic started as I was in my room with loads of distractions but I managed to knuckle down in the end.”

Also collecting results was Evie Bailey, from Lewes, who received two 9s, six 8s and two 7s.

Evie said teachers assessed her fairly and feels the grading system this year was the right system.

“My teachers know me so well and know what I’m capable of. I also know they are scrupulously fair and would never give higher grades than people deserve.”

On Tuesday (August 10) the independent school’s A level cohort achieved 58 per cent of grades at A or A* and 78 per cent at A* to B. To read more, see A-level results: Lewes Old Grammar School students praised for determination