18th January 2021
The new year has got off to a great start for many GCSE students at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, with an impressive total of 128 of them achieving the sought-after grade 4 or above in GCSE Maths and/or English - qualifications that had eluded them at their former schools.
Although the post-16 leader is known for its extensive offering of A-level and Level 3 BTEC subjects, the College also offers an ‘Access To Level 3’ programme for students who do not quite make the grade requirements to study A-levels straight from school. The scheme supports students to re-take their Maths and/or English GCSEs alongside a Level 2 BTEC and enables them to successfully secure the grades before moving on to a full A-level programme or an apprenticeship.
Students have one year in which to re-study and re-sit their GCSE exams in Maths and/or English; however, after a fresh start at a new College, many students find they are able to secure their grades just three months into the academic year – a number of this year’s 128 early achievers passed both their Maths and English GCSEs.
Marian Curran, Principal of St Brendan’s said “Congratulations to our staff and students on a great set of GCSE results. Over 50% of the students who sat the exams in November now have a grade 4 or above in their GCSE Maths or English, and the majority of them only joined us a few months ago. This would be a fantastic achievement in any year, but in the incredibly tough circumstances that these students have had to contend with, this is an amazing achievement, and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments. English and maths are so important as people progress in their education or employment, and these results will no doubt have a positive impact on the lives of these young people as well as on our local cities and their employers.”
