Both Monmouth School for Boys and Monmouth School for Girls showed a very healthy, bounce back to a ‘normal’ set of GCSE results this year. At the boys’ school, a third of all grades were Grade 9-8, whilst at the girls’ school, the percentage of grades at the top level of 9 has risen to 22.2% and there was in increase in grades at 9-7 (or A*-A) to 58.7%.
In addition, 75% of students at the girls’ school who took Additional Maths in Year 11 (which sits between GCSE and A-level standard), gained a Distinction.
As always, there were stand out performances. Academic Scholars Joana Anjos, Anna Whiteman and Niamh Dorman, all gained grades 9 and 8, with Joana sweeping the board with all 9s. In addition, Joana received a special mention from the OCR exam board for being one of the highest scorers in the country for her Art and Design GCSE exams.
Also, in this elite bracket, are Dylan Allman, who has campaigned extensively, in the region, for hedgehog conservation and gave a compelling talk on the subject at last weekend’s Monmouth Show, as well as Kip Sampson, Ojas Shanbhag, Julie Zhao, Yusra Ali, Hannah Burhouse and Hannah Jones, a committed rower who had also competed in the National Schools Rowing championships earlier in the year.
A host of students gained all grade 9-7s (or A*-A grades), including Harry Dawes, the current U17 athletics 800m Welsh Schools champion and Zoe Cripwell, who was chosen for the Wales U21 squad for the European lacrosse championships in Prague earlier in the year. Congratulations, also, to Arabella Chowns, Lucinda Chinn, Evie Deasy, Carys Faulkner, Pasha Chung, Anwen Marks, Rhea Mundra, Sophie Pick, Seren Holliday, Charlie Coulthard, Rohan Bagdami and Freddie Leeke, who all achieved a full house of grade 9-7s. Hannah Burhouse, Carys Faulkner, and Seren Holliday also all gained a Distinction in their Additional Maths exams.
There was reason for a double celebration for Harry and Jack Beggs, as the twins both gained all grade 9-7s (or A*-A), as did Cerys Lewis, who last year hit even greater heights, undertaking a sponsored skydive, in memory of her nan, raising money for St David’s Hospice Care.
Headmaster of Monmouth School for Boys, Simon Dorman, paid tribute to his students and staff. “This strong set of results is the culmination of hard work and teamwork. I congratulate my students and thank my amazing staff. At Haberdashers Monmouth Schools we take pride in juggling academic rigour with a strong extra-curricular programme which gives students a balance and perspective in their young lives. It is impressive to see how many students have achieved strong results whilst being committed to sports, music, drama and other activities beyond their studies.”
Meanwhile, Acting Head of the Girls’ School, Rachel Rees was ‘blown away’ with the quality of the results. “The number of students who have achieved a full house of grades 9-7 or A*-A, is great to see. Once again, our staff have gone above and beyond, to ensure the students were fully prepared, both academically and mentally.”