Congratulations to all our students
At 8:30am on Tuesday 10th August, ‘A’ Level and Level 3 BTEC results were published.
By 8:31am, students and staff at St Margaret’s Church of England Academy had started celebrating the achievements of the ‘Class of 2021’ – and the celebrations are still going on!
Of course today’s exam results have been arrived at through a very different process from previous years. Teachers used a range of assessment methods to decide the most appropriate grade for each student. The grades were then subject to quality assurance processes to make sure each one is as fair and as accurate as possible.
Principal Stephen Brierley commented that this method of deciding exam grades has some advantages over the pre-pandemic process of high-pressure exams. “Teachers know students best! Our staff have been able to award fair grades that reflect everything that students have learned – rather than their performance on just one day. Our students’ grades have been quality-assured internally, and checked externally too – so parents, Universities and employers can all have faith in the robustness of the process this year.”
“And under this new system, very many of our students have achieved spectacular results! – despite the very difficult circumstances under which they have been studying for the last 18 months. The vast majority have secured places at the University of their choice, and it has been a privilege to share in their celebrations this morning. We salute you, class of 2021”.
Stephen was also keen to heap praise on the staff at St Margaret’s too. “None of this spectacular success would have been possible without the dedication and commitment of the staff here. So many of my colleagues have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support our Year 13s; their efforts have been just as creditworthy as those of our students. Thank you to everyone who has played their part so ably!”
But the final word must go to our students, who have put up with so much, and still achieved so highly. In doing so, commented Stephen, they have demonstrated themselves to be “probably the most resilient cohort of students to come through our school for 75 years”. “We are proud of you!”.
