Closely connected year group at Brentwood School gain impressive GCSE results

Year 11 pupils arrived at Brentwood School to receive their GCSE results, after two years of study partly interrupted by COVID restrictions. Grades are up on 2019’s results across the board (the last time ‘normal’ public examinations were taken) and as well as many individual stories of academic success, it’s been a year of remarkable achievement beyond the classroom.

Sporting successes have included being crowned Essex champions in rugby, and qualification for national netball, hockey, swimming, squash and fencing finals, whilst the year group also includes a flourishing group of multi-grade 8 musicians, several of whom play for national orchestras and choirs and have won local and national competitions. A strong sense of service to the community has also been a focus for this cohort as the school has celebrated the 400th anniversary of its values - Virtue, Learning and Manners - this year.

Following an excellent set of results at A Level, International Baccalaureate and BTEC, which saw over 80% of students get their first choice destination, a fifth of GCSE pupils received the top Grade 9, five students achieved a full house of Grade 9s and no fewer than fifty had at least eight Grades 8s or 9s.

A speechless Toby Jones, who missed sitting his mock exams due to a collapsed lung, has defied all the odds to achieve a ‘pretty incredible’ set of GCSE results which included 9s in English Literature and History and 8s in Drama and English Language.

The Brentwood School tennis team captain, who has overcome a number of medical challenges to date, said the results were so much better than he was expecting, meaning he is now one step closer to his dream of attending a US university on a tennis scholarship.

Proud mum, Sarah, explained Toby had endured no fewer than 12 operations since birth: “This shows what a resilient character he is and how proud I am of him.”

Twins, Adnan and Salman Yaqub, proved to be completely in sync with each other as both boys achieved all 9s/A*s across the board, to achieve the maximum total of 72 points respectively.

Adnan said how both of them had been feeling excited and hopeful in the lead up to results’ day as ‘it had been a long wait to get here’ but neither had quite expected to get a clean sweep of top grades. Salman had even managed to achieve full marks in his HPQ. The twins will now be studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma together in September, having chosen identical Higher Level subjects which include Latin, Psychology and Chemistry.

A further three students achieved straight 9s, including top musician Sophia Assitzoglou, Kavninan Pathmanathan, and Erin Young.

Erin was overwhelmed with emotion upon opening her results as she achieved 9s for all her subjects. Through the tears of joy, she said: “You work hard and you hope for the best, but you never really know until you get your results. I was so nervous last night but today I’m just so proud of what I’ve achieved.”

It was smiles and happy tears all round, as mum Donna beamed with pride. “She’s worked so hard and we were always going to celebrate her efforts tomorrow night, but now we can toast to her fantastic results too!”

Charity fundraiser Grace Boulton and Himanshi Pandya looked delighted with their 66 and 70 points respectively. Himanshi, a keen member of the School Culture and Diversity Forum, recently organised a Celebrating Asian Culture week, which included a very popular lunchtime Indian food and music festival.

Champion horse rider Charlotte Cooke, who received 8s in English Literature, Geography and Food & Nutrition, and 7s in Biology, Chemistry, English Language and PE will be studying the BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport, which will allow her to continue her passion for equestrianism.

Will Ellis proved that academic prowess often aligns with - and is complimented by - commitment to the school’s vast co-curricular programme. As well as his achievements in school rugby, he achieved an exceptional set of grades totalling 69 points. He is thrilled that he will be able to pursue his chosen A Levels of Maths, Further Maths, DT and Physics. Mum - who attended Brentwood as a student herself - and Dad are delighted that all the support and hard work has paid off.

Charlotte Grundy revealed she is going home to celebrate her exceptional results with a well-earned nap, having not slept a wink last night. It would seem that all the worry was for nothing, however, as Charlotte achieved a clean sweep of 9s across the board.

Older sister Alice, who also attended the school, was with Charlotte to provide moral support and letter opening skills as the nerves took hold. Charlotte now goes on to study History, RE and Classic Civilisation, while Alice can now begin to turn her attention to her own studies as she pursues a History Masters at University of Cambridge.

Mrs Zeta Hill, Head of Year 11, who was there to congratulate students, said:“Despite the significant challenges that these students have faced in the last few years, I’m very pleased that they have achieved so highly in their GCSE examinations. More than that, they have consistently excelled beyond the classroom, coming together and building a close connection to raise money for charity, make music or win sports trophies - they are therefore a true reflection of the school’s aim to produce well-rounded individuals who are the best versions of themselves. I am so very proud of them all.”

Headmaster Mr Bond added: “These results are a testament to the hard work put in by our resilient pupils and talented teachers. They all have a reason to be proud today. We are delighted that the vast majority of students are moving into the Sixth Form alongside those who will be joining from other schools. The three pathways that we offer in the Sixth Form, including BTEC Extended Diplomas in Sport and Business, allow our students to follow courses for which they are particularly suited, which maximises their chances of securing their preferred next steps when they leave us. Next year’s Lower Sixth will be a very rich tapestry of impressive young people and we are very much looking forward to the start of the school year.”