GCSE results day 2021: Recap updates as students collected grades across Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Waterlooville
and live on Freeview channel 276
Exams have once again been cancelled due to Covid pandemic – and so the grades are based on teacher assessment this year.
GCSE results day took place a week earlier than usual in 2021 and A-levels were moved forward to Tuesday instead of taking place today.
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Hide AdStudents across the Portsmouth area will be picking up their grades in person this morning.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said pupils collecting their GCSE and BTEC results on Thursday should be proud after they faced learning in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
He tweeted: ‘Good luck to students receiving their GCSE and BTEC results today. Young people across our country are hugely talented and should be proud of all they’ve achieved in such exceptional circumstances. Thank you to their teachers and support staff who have worked so hard this year.’
Schools minister Nick Gibb said pupils receiving their GCSEs had been through an ‘exceptional year’ because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Speaking to Sky News, Mr Gibb said: ‘This is an exceptional year, designed to make sure that despite the pandemic, despite the fact we had to cancel exams, because it wouldn’t have been fair for children, young people, to sit exams when they’ve had such different experiences of Covid – the different levels of self-isolation and so on – so a teacher-assessed system was the best alternative to make sure they can go on to the next phase of their education or careers.’
We had reporters out at schools across the area this morning, to get all the latest updates and reactions.
Recap the updates in our live blog below.
Live updates as pupils collect GCSE results in Portsmouth
Key Events
- Students are collecting GCSE results this morning
- Grades are based on teacher assessment
- Exams were cancelled once again in 2021
‘I’m shocked and happy'
Jemina Chappell, 16, of Horndean, was happy after receiving five 7 grades and three 8 grades. ‘I’m shocked and happy,’ she said.’I got the grades I needed to go to college so that’s the most important thing.’
Ellie-Lee Cocks, 16, of Waterlooville, was satisfied with her four grades of 4, three 2s and a 5, which means she can now study education and childcare at South Downs College. ‘I’ve got to retake maths but overall I’m happy and now get to do what I want next,’ she said.
‘It has been difficult over lockdown to catch up with learning ‘
Emily Luckos, 16, of Hayling Island, secured seven grade 9s and two 8s.
She said: ‘I’m happy with the result though I did expect higher.
‘It has been difficult over lockdown to catch up with learning but the teacher support has really helped.’
Pupils on free school meals fall further behind
Poorer pupils in England eligible for free school meals (FSM) have dropped further behind their more privileged peers at GCSE, according to analysis of this year’s results.
Ofqual said that there has been a slight widening of the “long-standing results gap” between students in receipt of FSM and those who are not, by around one tenth of a grade compared with 2019.
The exams regulator suggested the widening gap could be a reflection of the “uneven impact” of the coronavirus crisis.
Meanwhile, private schools have seen the biggest absolute increase in the highest grades compared with other types of schools and colleges – up 4 percentage points on last year.
Collecting grades at Oaklands School
Grace Fincham collects her grades with her mum Michelle Fincham
Here is our report from Henry Cort this morning
A Fareham school has hailed its pupils efforts in their GCSEs – including some who got 9s across all subjects
The Henry Cort Community College said it had had ‘some outstanding achievements’ in GCSEs and other qualifications, given the disruption of the last two years.
Last year’s results were on teacher-predicted grades and this year’s are on teacher-assessed grades.
Principal Claudia Cubbage said: ‘We are immensely proud of all the work and achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted couple of years.
‘Our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future and wish them well.’
Joy as UTC Portsmouth pupils collect results after months of Covid disruption
‘Relief’ was the word on the lips of anxious teenagers at a university technical college as they collected their GCSE results following 18 months of pandemic pandemonium.
Jubilant pupils admitted they were ‘overcome with emotion’ as they arrived at UTC Portsmouth, in Hilsea, to finally pick up their grades.
Marks were graded by teachers and followed unprecedented levels of disruption to education following the coronavirus crisis.
And the results of UTC pupils stunned the college’s principal, James Doherty, who said: ‘I am absolutely over the moon.’
This is what it looked like to collect your grades at Ark Charter Academy
Umar Malik, Fiona Chapman and Izzy Murphy Farley. Picture: Adam Scott
Last all-girl cohort at The Portsmouth Academy celebrate ‘amazing’ GCSE results
It was the end of an era for The Portsmouth Academy as the last all-girl year group collected their final GCSE results
A team of teachers welcomed students as they collected their results envelopes.
Staff congratulated happy youngsters who were relieved that their hard work had paid off.
Lee Dolphin, senior vice principal at the school, said: ‘We’re really proud of this year group as it is the last all-girls cohort.’
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