EVEN MORE GCSE AND IGCSE STARS
Our girls were all smiles this morning, with the news that 99.27% of them had achieved A*- C grades at GCSE, with two girls achieving 11 A* across the board, including the new IGCSE in German.
“They are all stars in our book,” enthuses Debbie Leonard, the new Head. “With yet another 100% pass rate, the girls have put in an incredible performance this year and we are really proud of their achievements. They have worked so hard, been focused and dedicated and have had the opportunity to develop their own abilities and to shine across a diverse range of subjects. We will continue to build upon our success as a school and these results are the best foundation for the girls to build upon with their further studies next year.”
HAVE A LOOK AT SOME OF OUR SHINING STARS IN THE PHOTO GALLERY.
INSPIRED BY IGCSE AT CROYDON HIGH SCHOOL
Recently trialing the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in German has proved a resounding success for Croydon High School, with the magnificent seven who took on the task, all achieving A* grades.
“The German department offered the IGCSE for the first time this year,” says Heidi Mester, former Head of German and now Head of the Sixth Form at Croydon High School, “and seven of our Year 11 pupils volunteered to take on the additional learning, with the remainder of the year continuing with GCSE German. The overall response was resoundingly positive, from both girls and parents and we are delighted that all the IGCSE students achieved A* grades. They deserve to be congratulated on their achievement, their excellent results and their additional GCSE.”
Fuelled by rumours that GCSEs are becoming too easy, many independent schools are making a move towards the IGCSE which is seen to be more academically rigorous and challenging. It gives students the opportunity to stretch their learning, so that their transition from GCSE to A and AS Levels is less demanding.
The IGCSE is an internationally recognised qualification for students, typically aged between 14–16 and prepares them for further academic work including progression to AS Level, A Level, Cambridge Pre-U and the IB Diploma Programme.
Heidi continues, “Over the last year, the girls have been coming to additional lessons with me and practising their skills. The examination was really challenging and the reading and listening papers, in particular, were certainly harder than the standard GCSE, but they performed brilliantly.”
“It has been an exciting and valuable exercise for us,” concludes Debbie Leonard, the new Head at CHS, “and I’m really proud of the girls. The IGCSE might be something to consider as the learning landscape continues to evolve, as providing the broadest and most inspiring educational opportunities and challenges are at the heart of our outstanding academic achievement. So while we continue to focus on the GCSE at this stage, our Heads of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English are exploring the IGCSE option and it could be an added string to our bow in future, as well as adding to the number of qualifications our girls can achieve.”