News and Updates

24th August 2023

GCSE Results 2023

We are really pleased with today’s news of some great results at GCSE.  Results that will open many doors for the students and results that buck the national trend this year of grade deflation.  These results are amongst the best that the school has seen at GCSE level and are so as a result of the hard work and dedication of the staff team and also as a result of the work ethic shown by so very many of the children themselves.  Results distribution today went smoothly as a result of the work of the Exams and Sixth Form teams, but we must also thank the many other staff who attended earlier on this morning in order to help with the distribution of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students themselves.  This is not an obligation by any means, but it is hugely warming when colleagues choose to give up some of their holiday time so as to see the children through to the next stage of their life journeys. Whilst much of the early part of our outgoing Year 11s’ secondary school studies were mired by the pandemic, it has been wonderful to watch them grow and develop into such wonderful young adults.  We look forward, next, to the national level data analysis that will enable us to accurately assess the amount of progress that each child has made and that we have made as a whole school.  That said, with attainment a useful proxy for progress we feel quietly confident that we have performed well as a school at GCSE level. Over the five year story that we have jointly told together, each and every student is now able to take forward something that they can feel incredibly proud of and I am delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success. With 40% of all grades awarded at 9-7, it is difficult to single out individual students.  Deserving of a special mention, though, are Shiv, Jasmin, Erin, Koby, Isobel, Joseph, Amelia, Bishesta, Rose, Evie, Emma, Veronica, Jack and Rebecca for achieving exceptionally high results.  We are especially proud also of Freya, Daisy and Ethan for achieving 10 or more GCSEs at grade 9 – a fantastic achievement.  In total, 30 students achieved on average 2 grades or higher than expected – Hannah, Rose, Madeleine and Freddie achieved well above their target grades – a massive well done to them.  Today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and is a terrific opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have all achieved. We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Year 11 Class of 2023 for their fantastic results and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future. For many, I am thrilled to say that this will be here at Guildford County Sixth Form and we cannot wait to welcome them and a large number of external recruits through the doors in September. Please see below some headline data for your interest.   2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 2020/2021 2021/2022 2022/2023   # % # % # % # % # % # % EM5+ 103 67.32 100 62.5 98 62.82 112 68.71 123 68.33 119 66 EM4+ 122 79.74 131 81.88 135 86.54 132 80.98 152 84.44 145 80 E5+ 121 79.08 123 76.88 123 78.85 125 76.69 145 80.56 132 73 M5+ 106 69.28 107 66.88 107 68.59 120 73.62 129 71.67 136 75 S5+ 101 66.01 99 61.88 109 69.87 123 75.46 120 66.67 122 67 Grade 9 to 8 (Inc A*) 403 26.72 285 19.09 365 25.03 427 27.35 409 24.91 402 24 Grade 9 to 7 (Inc A*-A) 631 41.84 507 33.96 621 42.59 674 43.18 677 41.23 648 39.34 Grade 9 to 5 (Inc A*-B) 1057 70.09 1039 69.59 1128 77.37 1122 71.88 1244 75.76 1180 72 Grade 9 to 5 (Inc A*-C) 1112 73.74 1039 69.59 1128 77.37 1122 71.88 1244 75.76 1180 72 Grade 9 to 4 (Inc A*-C) 1240 82.23 1246 83.46 1309 89.78 1299 83.22 1430 87.09 1364 83 Progress 8 0.56 0.37 0.66 0.68 0.51 +0.43 (subject to autumn confirmation) Attainment 8 59.15 57.06 60.45 59.73 60.48 58.17 Total grades 1508 1493 1458 1561 1642 1644   This coming year, we will once again work on our genuinely held ambition to be leaders in secondary education and we will have a laser sharp focus on literacy, on leadership and on learning; delivering all of this with the love that sets us apart from many in our field and delivering it by working now on the marginal gains that will make all the difference and that will give rise to truly effective learning experiences for every single child. Read Full Article
17th August 2023

A Level Results 2023

Today we are celebrating the hard work and multiple successes of our Sixth Form students here at Guildford County School. Our sincere thanks go to the Sixth Form and Exams teams for making sure that the preparation for today and the results distribution morning itself ran so smoothly and also to the many other staff who attended earlier on in order to help with the delivery of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students. We are pleased that the build up to and delivery of the summer examinations season felt once again this year as we would hope, as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.  It has also been interesting this week to read the commentary from experts in response to Ofqual’s move to return to a grading regime similar to that seen in 2019. With the politics of education put to one side, then, I am really keen for us all at County to choose to look today at the personal stories of the individual students for whom this occassion represents the culmination of this chapter in their educational journeys.  We should once again adopt the narrative of resilient learners, dedicating themselves to their studies under the leadership of exceptional colleagues from across the school – teachers, support staff and governors alike.  These are students who have worked tirelessly over a great number of years and they are now able to move on to the next stage in their education with the sense of achievement and recognition that they so richly deserve.  Before we look at the results of the cohort as a whole, I am delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success. Individual successes were many in a range of subject areas.  We are particularly proud of several outstanding results from these high performing students.  Joseph (A*, A*, A*, A), Eleanor (A*, A*, A*, B), Hannah (A*, A*, A*), Max (A*, A*, A*) and Daisy (A*, A*, A*). At the time of writing, 72% of all of our departing students have secured places at Universities from Aberystwyth to Edinburgh to Plymouth with 44% of those students going to university accepting places at prestigious Russell Group universities.  Three County students who held Oxbridge offers have been successful.  Joe has secured a place at Cambridge to read Engineering.  Josh is going to Oxford to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics and Isabelle has secured a place at Cambridge to study Modern and Medieval Languages.  As a Music Specialist College, we are also thrilled to celebrate with Jim as he accepts a place at the Royal Academy of Music conservatoire.  We also congratulate Thuan for securing a place at the University of the Arts of London, at the Jimmy Choo Academy. Today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and the opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have achieved. We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Sixth Form Class of 2023 for their many achievements and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future. I am hopeful that many will choose to become members of our ever growing alumni community and that we will then be able to continue to watch their successes over the years to come. Please see below some headline data for your interest. A Level Grades % A*/A 27 A*/B 52 A*/C 73 A*/D 91 A*/E 97      Read Full Article
25th August 2022

GCSE Results 2022

I am proud to say that we are today celebrating the resilience and dedication not only of our staff team - teachers, support staff and governors alike – but also of a cohort of children who have truly thrived in their summer exam experience at GCSE level here at Guildford County School. My thanks to the Exams team for making sure that this morning ran so smoothly and also to Daryl Bond and the Sixth Form team for ensuring that the Herculean task of enrolment got so swiftly under way. I must also thank the many other staff who attended earlier on today in order to help with the distribution of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students themselves. This is not an obligation by any means, but it is hugely warming when colleagues choose to give up some of their holiday time so as to see the children through to the next stage of their life journeys. Whilst the beginning of Year 11’s GCSE studies were last year disrupted by the pandemic, it has been wonderful to watch them refocus under Ollie Smith’s leadership and with the support of a superb Year 11 Tutor Team. It was superb, this year, to be back to public examinations and I am delighted to say that our results are at least equal to and in many places better than our best ever at GCSE level. I look forward, next, to the national level data analysis that will enable us to accurately assess the amount of progress that each child has made.  That said, with attainment a useful proxy for progress I feel quietly confident that we have performed well as a school and, as result, that we will also have opened many doors for the children; guaranteeing them every chance of a bright future.  Early Surrey level analysis suggests that we are in a very strong position against our peers and that the good name of the school remains just that. For whatever part you have all played in these results, my sincere thanks. The challenge for us now, as we move into the new academic year, is that we must go again and go stronger next year, in order to get the same results for the children. This is because the Ofqual plan was always for the 2022 results to be better than they were in 2019, so to equal the results of 2022 in 2023, we will need to ensure even higher levels of performance from the children. We will need to ensure that they really are working as hard as their teachers and that there are no hiding places for underperformance as you all continue to work so tirelessly to give the children such an incredible school experience. Over the five year story that we have jointly told together, each and every student is now able to take forward something that they can feel incredibly proud of and I am delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success.  With 41% of all grades awarded at 9-7, it is difficult to single out individual students. Deserving of a special mention are Anna McKinney, Matilda Billinge, Dominic McCarthy and Sybil Gimblett for achieving exceptionally high results. We are also tremendously proud of Jasmin Schwartz, Ella Hobbs-Wilde, Daria Simpson-Dernovaya and Mohammad Mustafa who topped the value-added charts, achieving well above their individual target grades – a fantastic achievement. The school also recognises the performance of the following students who achieved 5 or more Grade 9s – Freya Bridge, Grace Faulkner, Ben Harpur, Neve Howson, Bronwen MacLaren, Daniel Nixon, Maggie Patmore, Madeleine Payne, Stanley Pillay, Michelle Suna, Naomi Tearle and Morten Wynde.  Today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and is a terrific opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have all achieved. We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Year 11 Class of 2022 for their fantastic results and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future. For most, I am thrilled to say that this will be here at Guildford County Sixth Form and we cannot wait to welcome them and a large number of external recruits through the doors in September. Please see below some headline data for your interest. With my very best wishes to you all. Steve Smith, Headteacher      Read Full Article
18th August 2022

A Level Results 2022

Today we are celebrating the hard work and multiple successes of our Sixth Form students here at Guildford County School. Our sincere thanks go to the Sixth Form and Exams teams for making sure that the preparation for today and the results distribution morning itself ran so smoothly and also to the many other staff who attended earlier on to help with the delivery of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students themselves. Alongside the whole of an incredible Sixth Form staff team, it is important that we also take some time today to thank Helen Nurton very sincerely for her exceptional leadership of our Sixth Form provision over the past 8 years. Alongside her leadership and that of Gerry Black working so closely with Year 13, we have today seen the best A Level results in the school’s history. I am pleased that the studies and preparation for the culmination of Year 13 felt, this year, to be more as we recognise in schools. With the return of public examinations and the opportunities therefore afforded for the students to show their calibre against a national field, we are now in a strong position to reflect on what we are capable of here at County. I wish for us to celebrate the many achievements of each and every student leaving us today; over the course of the 7 years that they have been with us, each has ensured that they will have a lasting place in the history of our school.  There will doubtless this week be an ongoing discussion in the media about the value of A level grades, but we must not become embroiled in this at the school.  Choosing instead to adopt the narrative of resilient learners, dedicating themselves to their studies under the leadership of exceptional colleagues from across the school – teachers, support staff and governors alike. Every single student has worked tirelessly over a great number of years and they are now able to move on to the next stage in their education with the sense of achievement and recognition that they all so richly deserve.  Before we look at the results of the cohort as a whole, I am delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success. Two students, Ada Kirczenow and Joseph Hearn, secured places at Cambridge and Oxford University. Ada will study Natural Sciences at St Catharine’s and Joseph has decided to decline his offer from Oxford University and study Computer Science at Warwick University. We are tremendously proud of Rebecca Boddington and Jeanie Pryer. Both students have shown exceptional tenacity and dedication and secured places at Durham University to study Climate Science and Biological Science. A special mention goes to George Shepherd whose dedication to his EPQ was inspirational. We wish him all the best studying Bio Medical Science at Southampton University. Marina Warchus has done incredibly well to be accepted at Ravensbourne University, London to study digital Film Production – a highly competitive course and Emma Robertson has accepted a place to study Medicine at Cardiff University. We are also really excited for Josh Kennedy and Harry Mason who will start an apprenticeship for BAE and Georgina Pickering who has an apprentice as a veterinary nurse. We wish Tim Stewart all the very best when he starts at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. At the time of writing, 88% of all of our departing students have secured places at Universities of their choice, including 32 offers from Russell Group Universities.    Today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and the opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have achieved. We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Class of 2022 for their many achievements and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future. I am hopeful that many will choose to become members of our ever growing alumni community and that we will then be able to continue to watch their successes over the years to come. Please see below some headline data for your interest. You will be pleased to know that we have comfortably retained our Alps 2 progress grading, meaning that we remain in the top 10% of Alps Sixth Form providers nationally. With my very best wishes to you all, Steve Smith, Headteacher Read Full Article
12th August 2021

GCSE Results 2021

Thursday 12th August 2021 - GCSE Results at Guildford County School Today we are celebrating the hard work, dedication and impressive achievements of our GCSE students here at Guildford County School.  Our deepest thanks go to the Exams team for making sure that the morning ran so smoothly and also to the Sixth Form team for ensuring that enrolment to our hugely successful Sixth Form was slick and efficient.  We would also like to thank the many other staff who attended earlier on today to help with the distribution of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students themselves. Whilst Year 11’s studies this year were significantly disrupted by the pandemic, not least when it was announced that GCSE exams this summer were to be cancelled, we want to celebrate very sincerely the culmination of 5 years’ hard work by each and every student since they joined the County family in Year 7.  The lack of public exams this year was a challenge for everyone, but we do feel that we were able to give a ‘real’ experience to all of our students by hosting our own, internal exams series, which, as with A level, formed a key part of our assessment process this year.  Whilst our students did not get a chance to show what they would have achieved in formal GCSE exams, there has been a complex process to allocate a ‘Teacher Assessed Grade’ (TAG) for each student in each subject.  It is important today that we do not let any discussion of this process overshadow the huge amount that has been achieved by every single student over a great number of years.  It is important that they can move on to the next stage in their education with the sense of achievement and recognition that they all so rightly deserve. As with the summer exams of 2020, the DfE are not compiling or publishing any school performance figures this year.  In keeping with this, many schools, including us here at County, will not at this stage be publishing school level performance figures for this summer for GCSE.  We are, however, delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success.  Deserving of special mention are Daisy, Madeleine, Ella, Ellie, Josh and Joseph who have all achieved outstanding individual results.  We are also tremendously proud of James, Ruby, Lili and Leonie who topped the value-added charts, achieving well above their individual target grades.  Steve Smith, Headteacher of Guildford County School, comments that, ‘today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and is a terrific opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have all achieved.  We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Year 11 Class of 2021 for their fantastic results and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future.  For most, this will be here at Guildford County Sixth Form and we cannot wait to welcome them and a large number of external recruits, through the doors in September.  External students still unsure of where to go next should get in touch with our Director of Sixth Form, Helen Nurton (hnurton@guildfordcounty.co.uk) to find out more about joining the County community.’ Read Full Article
10th August 2021

A Level Results 2021

Tuesday 10th August 2021 - A Level Results at Guildford County School  Today we are celebrating the hard work and successes of our Sixth Form students here at Guildford County School. Our sincere thanks go to the Sixth Form and Exams teams for making sure that the preparation for today and the results distribution morning itself ran so smoothly and also to the many other staff who attended earlier on to help with the delivery of results and to offer their congratulations and support to the students themselves. Whilst the studies and preparation for the culmination of Year 13 were not the same as in most years, due to the cancellation of public exams, we do feel that we were able to give a ‘real’ experience to all of our students by hosting our own, internal exams series as a part of our assessment process this year. We want to celebrate the many achievements of each and every student leaving us today; over the course of the 7 years that they have been with us, their footsteps have left a permanent and positive mark in the history of our school.  Whilst our students did not get a chance to show what they would have achieved in formal A Level exams, there has been a complex process to allocate a ‘Teacher Assessed Grade’ (TAG) for each student in each subject. It is important now that we do not let any discussion of this process overshadow the huge amount that has been achieved by every single student over a great number of years. It is important that they can move on to the next stage in their education with the sense of achievement and recognition that they all so rightly deserve.  As with the summer exams of 2020, the DfE are not compiling or publishing any school performance figures this year. In keeping with this, many schools, including us here at County, will not at this stage be publishing school level performance figures for this summer. We are, however, delighted to be able to share with you some individual stories of success. Two County students Rachel and Emily have secured places at Cambridge University.  Rachel will study Natural Sciences, and Emily begins her career as a doctor, studying Medicine.  We are also tremendously proud of Chloe who has secured a place at the University of Bristol to study Veterinary Science and Charlie who will be studying Music at the Royal College of Music in London.  Special mention goes to Shannon who has overcome many personal challenges throughout her school journey to shine in her Sixth Form studies, securing a place on a Business Management degree course; to Olivia who is the first in her family to attend University and has flourished in her A Level studies; and to Millena who arrived in the County family with English as her second language – she has shown exceptional tenacity and dedication to secure a place studying Marketing, also the first in her family to attend University.  At the time of writing, 90% of all of our departing students have secured places at Universities from Edinburgh to Bournemouth, Bath to Northampton, including 22 offers from prestigious Russell Group Universities.    Steve Smith, Headteacher of Guildford County School, comments that, ‘today represents the end of one phase of each student's education and the opportunity to recognise and celebrate what they have achieved. We are delighted to be able to congratulate the Class of 2021 for their many achievements and also to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives with our full support and our very best wishes for the future. I am hopeful that many will choose to become members of our ever growing alumni community and that we will then be able to continue to watch their successes over the years to come.’Read Full Article