Ahead of results for A Level and GCSE results being announced next week, our Head has written a very special email to this year's students.

We are sharing as a special message relevant for students everywhere after what has been an extraordinary year for everyone... 

Dear students,

I hope you are well and have had a fun and restful Summer so far. 

With GCSE and A Level results now just around the corner, I know that exams will be very much at the top of your mind and I wanted to send you a note as that day approaches.

This is of course a very important time in your educational journey and the next stepping stone in your lives I know that many of you will by now be feeling - understandably - a mix of nervousness and also excitement.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been able to pause and reflect while on holiday with my family on the most incredible 18 months for all of us. As we prepare for next week, what struck me most is how much you all have achieved above and beyond exam grades. This is something you may not have appreciated yet, but is something you should feel incredibly proud of.  It is why, I am sure, your generation will really be the one to change the world.

The pandemic of course took us all by surprise and we were confronted by challenges we never imagined. At very short notice, your schooling has gone in and out of lockdown, with rumours constantly circulating about whether you would sit exams or not, this year within the shadow of the turbulence around last year's exam results. You were kept physically apart from your friends, family members and routine, all while studying for your GCSEs and A levels - something you have worked towards for years as part of the foundations you are building for your life. 

You have confronted these challenges with strength, kindness, positivity, and an overwhelming compassion for each other and those around you. I have seen this every day in school (albeit sometimes virtually!) and I am so proud of each and every one of you.  You committed to your futures even when the future felt uncertain. You devised new and innovative ways of socialising from a distance. You pioneered inspiring initiatives to support your local communities. You were asked to adapt, and you rose to the challenge. 

The skills you have learned and honed this year – bravery, resilience and a drive to keep moving forwards to name but a few - that could never be distilled on paper. They are exactly the attributes we need in today’s world and as you step out on the next stage of your journey, you are ready to offer it in bucket loads. Whilst there have been some very tough times, you should always remember how much you have given and how much you have grown. Even if this strength is perhaps something you don't realise yet. 

So, if you are feeling nervous or indeed disheartened by potential talk around exams this year, please remember that you - along with students up and down the country - have achieved far more than most in your qualification year. Grades are of course important, and these are huge achievements in themselves, but, whilst it has been very difficult, you should be so proud of everything you have already achieved.

Regardless of what grade you receive next week, know that you have already proven your might. You are the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow, and for all you’ve shown this year I know the world is in good hands.

I look forward to seeing many of you next week or in September, to celebrate all of your many, many successes. 

With best wishes,

Mrs Chandler-Thompson

Head