Bishop Luffa Students Jumping for Joy!

Students at Bishop Luffa school are celebrating their success this morning as they open their GCSE results.

BEATING THE ODDS

One Bishop Luffa student lived through an exam nightmare that would have stopped most people in their tracks. Harry Hatfield broke his arm the day before his GCSEs started. He came straight from the operating theatre to school to sit his first exam. While other students were revising, Harry was being called away from his books to receive treatment. Harry’s family and his teachers were resigned to Harry not getting the grades he deserved, under the circumstances. This morning Harry is not only celebrating passing all of his GCSEs, he received 6 top grade Level 9s! His Head of House, Kate Hurry, said: ‘many students wouldn’t have been able to study through the pain that Harry endured, let alone sit exams. We are all so proud of him for what he has achieved and hope that he has an easier time with his A-levels!’

BROAD CURRICULUM

While many schools have cut back on courses, Bishop Luffa School has kept a wide range of subjects on offer at GCSE, including Latin, Music and Dance. Over half of the students who studied Latin achieved grade 7 or higher, with a third of students being awarded Level 9 – the top grade. Chloë Barnett, Head of Classics, feels that Latin has a lot to offer students. ‘Latin is great fun to study, but it is also challenging! Young people who meet that challenge get to hone two complimentary skills:  creativity and discipline. I am incredibly pleased with all of them for their personal achievements this year.’

Music and Dance had similar success. Deputy Head Teacher Stuart White sees the positive impact that the school’s broad curriculum is having on its students. He said: ‘students who choose Arts subjects often get their best grade in these subjects. Many children who find Maths and English hard excel in the Arts. If these subjects are closed to them after Year 9, school can seem like an uninspiring place to be. These students not only achieve, but they want to come to school’.

The school’s highest performing students were Amelie Cannon, Maria Coutinho, Harry Hatfield, Kathy Nightingale, Isaac Siddle, Abigail Taylor, Stanley Wilkes and Emily Wood, who all got at least five Level 9s.

Austen Hindman, Head Teacher of Bishop Luffa School, said: ‘our aim is for our students to have a full life. As well as achieving their academic goals, they have also been on trips, performed in plays and concerts, led worship in primary schools, competed in sports and raised over £20, 000 for their school and House charities. They are a remarkable group of students and we hope that they continue to lead such busy and fulfilling lives.’