THE “day of reckoning” arrived on August 20 for our Sixth Form students as they nervously made their way into school to collect their A level results.

The atmosphere was tense as they queued up outside the exam room and waited, with great trepidation, to discover whether or not they had succeeded in securing their university place.

Inside the exam room a bunch of equally nervous teachers also waited, ready to congratulate or comfort their students.

At last, the door opened, the students surged in and the results were snatched up and eagerly scanned – then there was an almost palpable lightening of the atmosphere as the anxious faces registered relief and joy.

Beaming headteacher Richard North, who had been closely analysing the results, announced that the great majority of students (88 percent) had passed in their chosen subjects – and 100 percent of students taking maths, science, English literature or English language had passed!

Mr Blackwall, assistant head teacher and head of Sixth Form was the first to congratulate the students, stating that their success was their well deserved reward for many years of hard work.

All the students gained a place at university, with the vast majority gaining a place at their first choice.

Mr North was equally pleased with the results, remarking: “It has been great to see so many gain places at university in a time of national recession when we are told that there is greater competition for places.”

Exactly one week later, the scene was repeated as the ex-year 11 students came into school to collect their GCSE results and discover whether their grades would be good enough to secure their job, college or Sixth Form applications.

Students had been asked to come into school at 10am but many arrived much earlier and formed a (somewhat disorderly!) queue outside the exam room.

Having been let into the room, there was absolute silence for a few moments whilst the students read their grades – a silence broken by whoops of delight as many pupils celebrated their passes. Again, a lot of teachers were present, happy to congratulate the students on their achievements.

Overall, 51 per cent of the students gained at least five good grades and there were many outstanding individual performances. Among them were: Katherine Harris (eight As, two Bs and one C), Matthew Lloyd (two A*s, four As, two Bs and one C), Emily Taylor (seven As and three Bs) and Matt Woolley (six As and five Bs).

Many students in years nine and 10 benefited from early entry to some of their GCSEs, recording some excellent results and showing very good promise for their future.

Mr North said: “It is always wonderful to see our students rewarded for their hard work.

“It is vital for them to have the best possible start and we look forward to seeing so many of them return into our Sixth Form to continue their studies with us.”