On Friday 10 January 2020, our Year 11 'Class of 2020' pupils gathered in the Main Hall for a special Mock Exam Assembly led by Headteacher Ms Henson at the end of the day. Ms Henson and Associate Assistant Head Mr Bellamy explained the reasons behind our Mock GCSE Results Day and why each January we replicate the formal process of Results Day for our Year 11s. The sharing of some exam bloopers from our Exams Officer was a good counterbalance to the serious messages we shared with our pupils.

Following the assembly, pupils moved to the Atrium and were able to experience the process of collecting their results as they will do this summer on the real Results Day - Thursday 20 August 2020 - with nervous anticipation and the potential roller coaster of emotions. Staff handed out results envelopes and were available to talk with pupils. Having opened their results, there was an overall positive atmosphere but a wide range of emotions were on show, with smiles and tears. As ever, we were inspired by how well our pupils support each other.

The mock results are an opportunity for our young people to take stock, to celebrate success and to highlight areas of strength and for improvement. Experience consistently shows that, with hard work and a 'can do' attitude, pupils can improve their final grades by between half and a whole grade. For some pupils, the mocks exams and results are a wake up call and a realisation that they quickly need to identify what to change and how to put those changes into place. Some pupils may use this opportunity to adjust their revision and/or exam techniques. For those that received good results, this is an opportunity to build on their positive foundations.
 

Our Mock Exam Results Day has become an important day in our school calendar. It provides an opportunity to reflect and look forward. Our pupils were very excited and we could feel the tension rising during the assembly. I was impressed by  the way in which our pupils supported each other; while one pupil was determined to open her envelope at home, another was reassured by the presence of her friends when she learnt her results. With further effort, well planned revision and thoughtful application we should see even better outcomes in August.

Chiquita Henson, Headteacher

We cannot recommend highly enough that pupils take advantage of any additional revision materials and revision sessions that our teachers provide between now and the exams in May and June. This quote from Alexander Graham Bell (Scottish-born American inventor of the telephone) is particularly apt: "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”